Dark Waltz
by Quicklove202
Summary: Stefan leaves Mystic Falls as soon as he becomes free of Klaus' compulsion. He ends up in Paradise, where he finds a seemingly ordinary girl who shares a extraordinary past with him that neither one even knew existed. Horrible at summaries. Stefan/Sarah.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I'm back! lol. I've been brainstorming all week and finally came up with this little something. I know some of you who read my last story were hoping for this to be a Stefan/Quinn fic, and I was incredibly close to writing it, but then I kind of had an epiphany and this really great idea popped into my head and I just had to make it Stefan/Sarah. Hope this doesn't discourage you from reading it, though! If you haven't seen I Am Number Four, you might be confused on some parts, but if that's the case you could always google a summary for the movie, or just watch the movie...whatever works for you. **

**Anyways for Stefan, this takes place during the latest episode of VD...I believe it's called "Homecoming"? Correct me if I'm wrong. The last scene from that episode with him and Katherine is in here but differs slightly at the end. So don't own that dialogue, just telling you now. As for Sarah, this basically takes place a few months where the movie left off. Only in this she's going to be a senior this year, whereas in the movie I think she was already a senior. Just to clarify. =] **

**So...you might be asking yourselves, what is in this crazy story? Hmm...good question. So I'll tell you. Take some vampires, werewolves, witches, aliens, a gorgeous leading lady, an incredibly sexy male lead, throw in some past lives and reincarnation, mix it all up, bake for half an hour. And presto! You got my story!**

**I really have a great storyline laid out for this pairing but you have to review otherwise I'll think no one is interested and just drop the story. Your choice!**

**P.S. For all those who reviewed my last story, I would like to give you all big thanks and many many virtual hugs for you all! =] **

**Read. Enjoy(Hopefully). Review please! =]**

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><p><em>"I'm so glad we found each other again". <em>

Sarah Hart's eyes flashed open at the sound of her own voice and sat up, just now realizing that she had fallen asleep in the midst of adding photographs to her scrapbook. She pinched the bridge of her nose, irritated that she had had the dream _again. _

"Sarah, Mark's here!" her mother's voice called from downstairs, breaking Sarah from her thoughts. She inwardly cringed. Ever since John left, Mark had taken it upon himself to look after her while he was away. She figured it was his attempt at getting a second chance with her since John was gone but he assured her that he was only hanging around her so much because he needed someone to talk to, seeing as how they were the only two who knew about the Lorien's and were still stuck in Paradise. Much to her dismay, her parent's were thrilled at this 'reconnecting' that they were doing, subtly hinting to her that she should get back together with Mark. John wasn't exactly their favorite person once his ordeal made it on the evening news.

"Sarah!" her mother's voice came again.

Sarah reluctantly closed her scrapbook and pushed herself off her bed before grabbing her camera off her desk. She walked into her bathroom to glance at herself in the mirror. She sighed when she saw the faint appearance of dark circles under her eyes appeared from under her makeup. Thanks to the strange dreams she had been having, she hadn't been getting as much sleep as she used to. She dreamt of places she'd never been to in her life, people she didn't recognize, objects that she'd never seen before. And then there was one particular dream, one she dubbed 'the dream', which she had almost every single time she closed her eyes. In it, she was sitting down under a tree somewhere, her camera in her hands. She seemed to be alone, but when she leaned back to rest her back against the tree, her back wasn't against the tree, but against a torso. Suddenly someone was sitting behind her, but she couldn't tell who. A man, she realized as arms wrapped around her. A smile spread across her dream self's face as she leaned back into the stranger, comfortable with him as if she knew him her whole life. And then she'd utter the line, _"I'm so glad we found each other again". _She'd always wake up after that. Always on the same part, like clockwork.

At first she thought the dreams were happening just because of her missing John and her worries over his safety, but as these dreams went on, she was starting to believe that they had nothing to do with John at all, but with something else….or _someone_ else. She shut her eyes and shook her head, _Preposterous. They're just dreams, she told herself, Nothing more than stupid, meaningless dreams. _

She hurriedly walked out of the bathroom and grabbed her jacket off the back of her chair before heading downstairs. As she walked down the stairs, she could hear her parent's laughter mixed with Mark's. It didn't irritate her until now how well they all got along. She stepped into the living room and the laughter died down.

"You ready?" she asked Mark as she slipped her bag onto her shoulder and headed for the door. Mark nodded and turned to her parents, "See you around, Mr. and Mrs. Hart". She said goodbye to her parents as well and headed out the door before they responded.

"What's your hurry?" Mark asked as he closed her front door behind him.

"I just want to get this over with so I get back home as soon as possible" she replied, watching as Mark jogged over to catch up with her before walking down the street with her.

Summer was ending and as they did every year, the town threw their annual, _End of Summer Carnival, _which Sarah had to take pictures of for the local newspaper. Usually she would be more than happy to go to a carnival and take pictures and get paid for it, but with Mark's presence and her sleep deprivation getting to her, all she wanted to do was stay home.

Much to Sarah's relief, they walked to the carnival in silence. The oncoming carnival and the noises that came with it being the only sounds that filled their ears as they walked. But then Mark cleared his throat and Sarah mentally groaned. She had spoken too soon, (figuratively of course). "So…we start school Monday…you excited for senior year?" he asked as he kicked a pebble in his path down the street. He's probably asked her this question about a dozen times already but she could tell that he's so desperate for some chit-chat that he's forgotten that he's brought it up already. She merely shrugged, "I guess so".

He sighed, "Yeah, it doesn't sound as exciting when you know that John and the others are fighting to save the world right now…. I wish we could've gone with them. I don't think I can take another minute here in this stupid town".

She couldn't help but roll her eyes. He'd been singing this same tune all summer, complaining about how unfair it was to be stuck here while the others were gone. It was all he could talk about and frankly she was getting sick of it, mainly because it hurt to even think about John and the fact that he hadn't contacted her at all since he left. The very thought caused her to reach into her pocket to check her phone. And as usual, she came up empty handed, no texts or missed calls from him, no indication that he was even alive. She shoved her phone back into her pocket a little more forcibly than necessary and pulled out her camera and badge, so that she and Mark got in for free at the carnival.

As soon as they entered the carnival, Sarah began taking pictures, hoping that Mark would soon get bored and leave her alone. "You hungry?" he asked as he saw two people passing them carrying two plates of food.

The smell of fried food filled her nose and she shook her head, "Nope".

"Well, I am" he stated, his hand now rubbing his stomach.

"Good, you go pig out, I'm going to go take some pictures…." she said quickly before walking away.

"Oh no you don't" Mark said with a chuckle before grabbing her arm and pulling her back, "I'm not letting you out of my sight. Something could happen to you. There could be Mogs running around".

Sarah rolled her eyes, "I highly doubt Mogs are running around at a carnival and besides I can do what I want. You're not the boss of me".

"Sarah, I promised John I'd keep you safe until he got back" he countered.

She scoffed, "You did no such thing".

He sighed, "Okay, I didn't. But I made a promise to myself that I'd keep you safe and I intend to keep it". She huffed in frustration and reluctantly followed him to where all the food was, figuring she could make her escape when the time was right.

"Are you sure you don't want anything?" Mark asked her for about the hundredth time as he sat down across from Sarah on a picnic table once he got his food. She nodded and pulled out a pen before she began doodling onto her napkin while Mark shoved his double cheeseburger in his mouth and took a bite. He leaned towards her and tilted his head to the side, "What's that you're drawing?" he asked, his mouth still full of food.

"Hmm?".

He reached over and slid the napkin from under her before she had a chance to stop him.

He lifted up the napkin and looked at it closely before looking back at her, "What is this?".

She shrugged, "I'm just doodling".

She leaned across the table to snatch it back but he leaned away from her.

"It looks like a family crest, is it yours?" he asked, pointing to the design on the napkin. She shook her head and again reached for the napkin.

"What does…" he squinted to get a better look, "…Pro infinito mean?" he asked, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the napkin.

"I don't know," she lied before snatching the napkin back and crumpling it up into a ball and tossing it into her bag. Truthfully, she knew exactly what it meant. She had googled the meaning shortly after drawing the symbol for the first time. It meant, _For eternity_. And the so called crest he was talking about was from 'the dream'. The crest was embroidered on a ring that her mysterious dream buddy wore on his right hand. She put her pen away and picked up her camera again before she started taking pictures of the rides that were nearby.

About ten minutes later, she noticed a few of Mark's football buddies and their cheerleader girlfriends, also her ex-friends, coming up to their table to chat with him. Sarah took this as her opportunity to slip away from him.

"Hey, man, what's up?" a big burly guy named Isaiah greeted before looking at both of them, "Are you two back together?".

"No" Sarah answered, "We're just friends".

"Then you won't mind if we join you, will you?" another one of Mark's buddies, Kyle, said as he sat down next to her. Sarah shook her head, "Be my guess". Within seconds, the guys had Mark in a heated discussion about some baseball game from the other night and Sarah easily slipped away from the group without his notice.

_Katherine sighed and hung up the phone, "He doesn't know where it all went wrong". _

_Stefan looked away from the window, "He doesn't need to know". _

_Katherine brought the car to a screeching stop, "Are you good from here? I need to put about a million miles between myself and Klaus as soon as possible". _

_She looked to Stefan for an answer but he didn't reply. "Stefan?". _

_He looked over at her curiously, "How did you know that I would stop Damon?". _

_Katherine shook her head, "I didn't. I was just hoping that you would want to". _

"_You've wanted Klaus dead for five hundred years. Why would you risk all that just to save Damon's life?". _

"_I wasn't just trying to save Damon's life, Stefan. I was trying to save yours. Your humanity…Let's just say I like the old you better." _

_Stefan snorted, "C'mon Katherine, you don't care about anyone but yourself, you never have". Katherine glanced over at him, "You and I both know that isn't true. I loved you. I loved Damon too". _

"_Humanity is a vampire's greatest weakness. No matter how easy it is to turn it off, it just keeps trying to fight it's way back in", she sighed, "Sometimes I let it". _

_Stefan shook his head, "I can't let it all back in…. I don't want to. Not after everything that I've done". _

Katherine dropped him off after that, leaving him on the side of the road somewhere in either Ohio or in Pennsylvania as she zoomed through the deserted highway until she was out of sight. Stefan continued on foot only stopping when he came across a large sign on the side of the road that said, Welcome to Paradise, Ohio!

_Welcome to Paradise, Stefan, he thought bitterly to himself. _

As Sarah took a few pictures of the Ferris Wheel, she noticed out of the corner of her eye, that a fortune teller had a tent set up. She could see that an elderly gypsy woman was currently giving two giggling girls their fortunes. She didn't believe in fortune telling herself but figured it would make for a good photo op. She turned her back on the Ferris Wheel and headed towards the tent, she took a few steps before bringing her camera up to her face and snapping photos. Just as she finished her roll of film, the two girls got up and walked away giggling and laughing. Sarah was about to do the same and change her roll of film when she heard, "You, girl".

She turned around to find the fortune teller staring at her.

Sarah looked around, "Me?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

The woman nodded and beckoned her to her, "Come, I tell your fortune".

She smiled weakly and shook her head, "No, thank you. I just wanted some pictures for the paper".

The woman shook her head and continued to beckon her towards her, "Come". Sarah sighed and reluctantly walked into the woman's tent.

"Sit," she directed as she cleared her table of what Sarah recognized as Tarot cards. She sat down and placed her camera down next to her feet.

"Give me your hand" the woman said through her thick accent. Sarah assumed the woman was European and reluctantly gave her hand. The woman looked at her hand and then flipped it over so that her palm was showing, "Mmm-hmm".

Sarah watched the woman closely, waiting for her to make some wacky prediction so that she could leave. The woman closed her eyes, her eyebrows narrowing, allowing Sarah to see all the wrinkles in her forehead.

"Lei ha avuto molte vite passate".

Sarah blinked, "I beg pardon?".

The old woman opened her eyes again and closed Sarah's hand. "The one you have been seeking will return to you tonight". Sarah's heart nearly leapt out of her chest at her words. Did that mean that John was coming back…tonight?

She left the fortune teller shortly after that, her heart beating rapidly against her chest. That small skeptical voice inside her head kept telling her not to get too worked up about this, that the old woman was probably just saying things, but she couldn't help but wonder if she had been right. Something deep down inside her told her that the woman's words were true. The very thought of seeing John again made her want to do cartwheels. "Sarah!". She stopped in her tracks at the sound of her name. She spun around to see Mark walking towards her. "There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" he exclaimed, his arms extended. Sarah groaned and turned back around as he jogged up to her. "Where've you been? You scared the shit out of me, you know that? I thought the Mogs got to you!".

She shook her head at his over dramatizing and pointed over her shoulder to the fortune teller's tent behind her.

Mark followed her hand and started chuckling, "What did that old broad tell you? That you'll meet your prince charming and you'll be swept off your feet tonight? You know all those people are just phonies looking for money".

She ignored that comment, "She said John would come back tonight".

Mark arched his eyebrow, "Really?".

She nodded, "Well she didn't say exactly that, but that's what she meant".

Mark folded his arms across his chest, "What exactly did she say?".

"She said and I quote, 'The one you have been seeking will return to you tonight'. Obviously she meant John!".

Mark shook his head, "I wouldn't get your hopes up if I were you Sarah".

Once he walked into town, Stefan noticed that Paradise was just another small town like Mystic Falls. Although he hoped that there wouldn't be vampires, werewolves, or witches running around this town either. He walked down an empty street, seeking a suitable car to steal when the sound of laughter and screams filled his ears. He turned his head and noticed that there was a carnival of some kind happening nearby. He swiftly turned on his heel and headed for the carnival, figuring that was where he would find himself a late night snack.

He strode through the carnival, setting out to find the most appealing young things to drain. All the teenagers seemed to notice him as he walked, especially the girls, and knew it would be seconds before someone perked up the courage to talk to him.

"Excuse me?". _Like clockwork, he thought. _

He turned around, a smirk escaping his lips, "Hi".

The girl in front of him was medium height, had raven black hair and dark brown eyes.

"You aren't from around here, are you?" she stated as she looked him up and down.

He shook his head and smiled, "How could you tell? Was it the leather jacket that gave me away?".

She let out an annoying giggle and playfully swatted his chest, "You're cute".

He moved closer to her and he could hear her heartbeat quicken.

He looked straight into her eyes, "Meet me in the parking lot and stay there until I come and get you. Don't talk to anyone. Got that?".

The girl obediently nodded and he watched as she walked away. He swallowed hard, the sound of blood pulsing through all these people's veins making his throat uncomfortably dry. He looked around, once he found a few more girls he would be good…

His gaze abruptly landed on a blonde who had her back to him. She was taking pictures of the carousel in front of her. He looked her up and down, seeing nothing particularly special about her. And yet, he couldn't for the life of him look away. He then noticed a guy standing next to her and suddenly he was overcome with jealousy. His jaw clenched and he shook his head of the thought, he had no reason to be jealous.

He patiently waited for her to turn around, sensing that maybe that this girl wasn't human. Once he saw her face would he then know for sure. The guy standing next to her noticed his staring and he started to send glares his way. Within seconds, the girl turned to him and followed his gaze. That's when their eyes met. He felt as though he had lost himself as he stared into her hypnotizing, bright green eyes with the flecks of gold in them. They stared at each other for the longest time, each unable to look away for some unknown reason. As he gazed at the girl, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen her before. But it was impossible, he would've remembered if he had ever seen her before…wouldn't he?

"I don't like the way that guy's looking at you" Mark said quietly. Sarah nodded her head, not really paying attention to what he had just said. The guy was staring at her, directly at her, and even though she was fully aware of him doing so, he didn't seem to try and conceal his gazing. His staring would be unnerving to most and usually if she found herself in the situation she would be too, but for some reason she didn't. His staring made her feel oddly at peace, so that she hoped he wouldn't look away.

"Do you think he's one of them?" Mark whispered to her.

Sarah didn't take her eyes off of him, "He hardly looks like a Mog".

Mark rolled his eyes, "Not a Mog, you know…one of the Lorien's" he said under his breath. Sarah bit her lip unsurely. The strong jaw, the tousled hair, the piercing green eyes…all so familiar. She'd seen him before, she was almost a hundred percent positive…but where?

When Stefan realized what he was doing, what he was thinking, what he was _feeling_, he quickly looked away from her and turned on his heel, determined to get as far away from her as possible. In his haste, he compelled three more random girls before heading for the parking lot with them obediently following behind him.

"That was really weird" Mark commented.

Sarah nodded in agreement, still staring at the spot where he last was.

Mark noticed this, "You okay?".

She blinked and nodded, "Yeah, just tired I guess". She looked down at her camera and then back up at him, "I think I have enough pictures, I should probably get going. It's late".

Mark nodded in agreement, "I'll walk you home".

The second he reached the parking lot, Stefan sank his teeth into the closest girl's neck. He had compelled all the girls not to scream so the others silently looked on as he drained the one with the raven black hair. As soon as he drained her of her blood, he moved onto the next one, and the next, and the next after that until he had four drained corpses at his feet. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve before throwing the bodies over his shoulders to dispose of them in the woods nearby.

He headed for a break in the trees shortly after disposing of the bodies far off into the woods. He had heard some wild animals nearby and figured they would take care of what remained. Much to his dismay, he could not stop thinking about that girl from the carnival. Everything about her was so familiar…he had to of seen her before, but where? As he racked his brain for an answer, it felt as though his humanity was switching back on. No. He couldn't let that happen. _She's nothing more than a pretty face, the ripper inside told himself, Forget about her. _

Despite his better judgment, he found himself walking back to the carnival. He entered through the back way only to find that it was closing for the night. The remaining people were leaving while the vendors packed up their things for the night.

"The one you seek is not here".

Stefan whipped his head around to find a elderly woman in gypsy garb behind him. His eyes narrowed.

"She left quite some time ago" she explained.

He frowned, "Who exactly are you talking about?".

The woman smiled knowingly, "As if you do not know".

Stefan folded his arms across his chest, waiting for an answer.

The woman smirked, "Your soulmate, who else?".

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><p><strong>AN: For those of you not fluent in Italian, I know I'm not for i had to google the translations, <strong>

**Lei ha avuto molte vite passate means- You have had many past lives. (Again, according to Google. They could be wrong).**

**Review if you would like me to continue!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: First off, huge thanks to those who reviewed! Second, very, very sorry that it took me a while to post the second chapter. But I'm still in the developing phase of all this so it's taking a bit longer to write chapters. It doesn't help that I've hardly any time to write. Anyways, keep in mind that I'm horrible at writing beginning chapters. This story gets better as we go on and as other characters get involved. I've written some later chapters already and they're pretty..interesting. lol I don't know how to describe it without giving anything away. Anyways, please review! They're the things that drive me and also let me know people are interested! =] So...Read. Enjoy. Review!**

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><p>Stefan's eyebrows furrowed, "I'm sorry, did you just say <em>soulmate<em>?".

The woman briefly nodded and turned to head back to her tent, "I feel sorry for the poor girl".

He frowned and followed her, "Why do you say that?".

She stopped before turning around to face him again, "Because… I know what you are. _Un vampiro_".

He smirked, "What gave me away?".

"I read the girl's palm. I saw into her past. You were there" she explained.

His smirk disappeared and he shook his head, "Impossible. I've never seen that girl before tonight".

The woman smirked, "For a vampire you have a very bad memory".

His jaw clenched, "Would you just tell me what you know before I rip your throat out?".

Her eyes narrowed, "You have been a vampire since 1864".

Stefan rolled his eyes, "I'm aware of that".

"And yet you have no memory of her at all" she said as she folded her arms across her chest.

"I have never seen that girl before tonight" he spat, "How many times to I have to say that?".

"I am telling you, that girl has been around for as long as you have".

He frowned, "You mean she's a vampire?".

She shook her head, "The girl is damned, but not as you are".

He looked at her, confusion on his face.

"You are familiar with reincarnation, yes?".

He nodded. He had read books about reincarnation before, but he never really believed it as a possible reality.

"My people have always believed in reincarnation. An Old soul, that is what we call those who are frequently reincarnated. That girl is _una vecchia anima_".

"You think she's an Old soul?".

"I do not think, I know".

"That doesn't explain why I don't remember her, if what you say is true about me being in her past".

"I'm afraid that I do not know the reason for that".

"Why are you telling me all this?".

"Because, you need her, that much is clear. You two are better off together than apart".

"I highly doubt that".

The woman merely shrugged, "You will see in time". Stefan shook his head and turned on his heel before disappearing into the night.

Sarah spent rest of the night pacing in her room, her phone seemingly glued to her hand as she waited for a call or a text, some kind of head's up from John before he arrived. _What are you doing? You are being an idiot for believing that gypsy fraud, a small voice said, He is not coming back tonight. _She sighed in frustration, realizing how stupid she was acting and put her phone down on her nightstand. She plopped herself down on her bed and stared up at the ceiling, wishing she had never gone to that darn carnival in the first place. After a while, her eyelids grew heavy and she was soon overcome by sleep. It wasn't long before she started dreaming. The dream started out with her and John. They were laying on her bed together, talking and laughing. Sarah clung to her pillow, dreaming that it was John she was holding onto. She could practically smell his aftershave, feel his warm body surrounding hers as he held her. She buried her face against his chest and sighed.

"I've missed you so much" he whispered into her hair. His voice sounded different than she remembered. She moved her face from his chest to look up at him and was surprised to find that John was no longer John anymore, but the stranger from the carnival. The one with the piercing green eyes. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Are you okay?". She nodded, touching his cheek before sliding her hand behind his neck and bringing him towards her, "I've missed you too," she whispered before their lips met.

Sarah bolted upward in her bed, slightly breathless and heart beating rapidly against her chest. She groaned softly and put her face in her hands. Couldn't she just have one peaceful night of sleep? She shook her head in disbelief that she had dreamt about kissing someone _other_ than John, and actually enjoyed it! She lifted her finger up and touched her bottom lip. She shook her head at the thoughts were suddenly arising. What was up with her subconscious?

Once Stefan left the carnival and preyed on a few more girls, he stole a car and began driving it around town aimlessly. His mind was working a mile a minute, processing and analyzing the information that old woman had told him as some Bon Jovi faintly played from the radio. It wasn't possible, he couldn't have a soulmate. She couldn't…there was no way she could be an Old soul. Reincarnation? That was just a myth…wasn't it? _The old bat probably just made all that stuff up to mess with your head, Stefan thought to himself. _But if it was all a lie, why was this affecting him so much? He didn't understand any of this. Why her? Yes, she was breathtaking but what made her so special? A low growl escaped his mouth. All of this was making _feel_ and that was the opposite of what he wanted. He was a monster. He could accept that. What he couldn't accept was these feelings that were arising. These were old Stefan's feelings. That Stefan was gone. Wasn't he? _Of course he is, he thought to himself. _Then why was flipping the switch getting so difficult all of a sudden? _If you would just kill her, all this would be over with and you could move on and start ripping people apart again, the ripper inside told him. _That seemed easier said than done because somewhere deep down was a tiny voice saying that he couldn't harm her. He pulled up to a stoplight and noticed a high school to his right. The school's sign read, _First day of school: September 5__th__!_ That was two days away. He clenched his jaw tightly as a sudden thought occurred to him.

Sarah was abruptly woken Monday morning by Florence Welch's singing blaring through her alarm clock. She buried her head in her pillows, not wanting to believe that the first day of school had already come. She had virtually spent her last day of freedom cooped up in her makeshift darkroom, developing her pictures, and doing everything in her power not to think of that guy from the carnival.

Within an hour, she was in front of Paradise High School, dreading the idea of having to spend yet _another_ year here. She took a deep breath before heading through the entrance and walking towards the front office. She soon left the front office and walked down the hallway, her new schedule in one hand, her camera in the other. She wasn't surprised when she saw all the familiar faces, nor was she surprised when all those familiar faces all ignored her. _Just one more year, she thought. Just one more year… _

"Hey Sarah!".

She stopped mid step and turned around to see Mark jogging up to her, clad in his letterman's jacket.

"Hey," she said unenthusiastically once he caught up to her.

"What's your schedule like?" He snatched her schedule out of her hand before she could say anything and immediately glanced it over.

"Cool, we have English and Government together. Now I have no chance of failing either class," he joked, "Just kidding".

She slightly rolled her eyes, "I have to get to class". She took her schedule back and headed for her locker, leaving him standing there.

Stefan couldn't believe he was doing this again, enrolling in yet another high school. He had better things to occupy his time with than school but he couldn't get what that fortune teller had said out of his head no matter how hard he tried and his curiosity about the girl seemed to grow with every passing second. He remembered being in this same position last year. _And look where that landed you, he thought bitterly to himself. _But he knew if he didn't find out what all this was about, he would probably go insane from not knowing.

The day was going relatively slow, seeing as how all the teacher's did in Sarah's classes was go over the rules and the syllabus for the class. She took a seat in her English class, thankful that at least lunch was next. She pulled her notebook out of bag as students began piling into the desks around her. Thankfully the seats around her had filled up before Mark had a chance to sit next to her. A chill ran down her spin for some unknown reason but she ignored it and lifted her head to read the instructions on the chalkboard. That's when she saw him. The guy from the carnival. He was talking to their teacher and shook his hand before turning to take a seat. Her breath caught in her throat as he walked down the aisle on her right and took a seat in the very back. Now she under stood the chill. She didn't know what it was, but something about him did not sit well with her. She ignored him for the rest of the period, despite the constant urge she got to turn around in her seat every so often.

She quickly headed outside for lunch once the bell rang. She brushed past the sea of people to get to her usual spot on the grass. She sat down and pulled her lunch and her camera out of her bag. No more than two minutes later, she heard Mark walking over to her, his powerful cologne making her wrinkle her nose.

"Hey, you" he greeted, plopping herself down on the grass next to her.

She sighed, "What do you want, Mark?"

"Did you notice that guy from the carnival is in our English class?" he asked.

"Not really" she muttered, not wanting to talk about _him _of all people.

"All he did in class was stare at you. The guy's a freak. I had him earlier in my Anatomy class, his name is-"

"Stefan" she finished. Sarah stopped dead in her tracks when she realized what she had just said. _Where did that come from? _

His eyebrows crinkled in surprise and he nodded, "Yeah, how'd you know?". _Yeah, how did she know?_

"I…heard some girls talking about him and caught the name" she replied rather quickly.

He shrugged and pushed himself off the grass, "Anyways, if he ever does something to hurt you, you let me know. I'll beat the crap out of him".

She nodded her head, "Thanks…I guess".

He nodded and walked back to his group of friends, "See, ya" he said over his shoulder.

As soon as he was out of sight, she shut her eyes and ran a hand through her hair. How the hell had she known his name?

Stefan listened to her conversation with Mark from his place in the shadows, the branches of the trees concealing him from view. He leaned against the tree and folded his arms across his chest. He knew, by the way that she had reacted, that she had somehow known his name without hearing it before. _Maybe she's a witch, he thought to himself as he drifted deep into thought, his gaze still on her. _His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the crunching of leaves behind him. He turned around to see the girl he had just fed on regaining consciousness as she tried to push herself into a standing position. He grabbed the girl by the shoulders, looking at her blood stained neck and clothing. He couldn't just compel her to walk away like he had done with the previous one. He had made a mess of this one and couldn't risk someone seeing her bloody appearance. So he snapped her neck with a single crunch and disposed of her body deep in the forest. He returned to the school just in time to hear the bell ring, signaling the end of lunch. He ran his tongue over his teeth to wipe off any blood residue before grabbing his backpack of the ground and heading to his next class.

Sarah sighed as she walked into her last class of the day, which was Culinary. The culinary room was pretty big seeing as how it was actually the size of two classrooms. One room was the ordinary classroom and then the other room was the actual kitchen. Sarah took the syllabus that their teacher was handing out as they walked in and took a seat at a table in the very back of the room. She pulled a pencil out of her bag and vaguely watched as students began filling in, in hope that she would be fortunate enough to sit by herself. That's when she saw _him_. Stefan. She hated that she now had a name to go with his ridiculously beautiful face. She did not want to know him. At all. He turned his head, almost as if he knew she was staring at him and their eyes met. He had a predatory glint in his eyes and a smirk slowly appeared on his face. She shivered and quickly averted her gaze to the whiteboard. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him walking down the aisle towards her. She placed her bag on the empty chair next to her, hoping to dissuade anyone, mainly _him_, from sitting there. He reached the end of the aisle, stopping at her table. She could feel him staring at her but refused to meet his gaze. His gaze settled on her bag and then she noticed him lift _her_ bag off the seat and drop it to the floor next to him. She stared at him in surprise as he sat down next to her. _What the hell? _There was more than enough vacant seats available, why did he have to sit here off all places? She sighed and turned her attention back to the front board. _Jerk, she thought._

Stefan pretended to be listening to their teacher's lecture on the do's and don'ts of the kitchen, but like most of the students around him, he was focused on something else, or that is to say, _someone_ else. He could tell by the way she bit her bottom lip and the way she gripped her pencil a little tighter than necessary that she was not pleased with his staring. He wondered why she didn't just tell him to stop. He glanced over her paper, seeing her name neatly written in the top right hand corner. _Sarah Hart._ He looked back up at her face. _Sarah Hart, he thought to himself, the name sounding familiar as he mentally said it in his head. _His gaze drifted down towards her neck, where he noticed a small white rose necklace that she wore around it. His gaze lingered on it, his eyes narrowing slightly. The design was very similar to the tattoo he had that was also of a rose. Without realizing it, his left hand touched his right bicep, ghosting over his tattoo that was covered by his sleeve. _Purely coincidental, he thought to himself as he turned in his seat to face front. _

Sarah mentally sighed in relief when she realized that his staring had finally ceased. But at the same time, she couldn't help but feel a little bit saddened at the loss. She pursed her lips together and mentally scolded herself at the thought. She looked up at the clock that was above the whiteboard and was thankful that there was only ten minutes left in class. Unfortunately, those ten minutes went by slower than a handicapped snail. She was so anxious to get out of there, that when the bell finally did ring, she was out of her seat within the blink of an eye. She didn't even take another glance at _him _before exiting the classroom.

"Hey!"

She continued walking, thinking that it wasn't her who someone was trying to get the attention of. Then suddenly she was jolted by an overwhelming shock, an electric charge that course through her veins, making her whole body tingle. She gasped and quickly spun around, realizing that the reason for that was because Stefan had his hand on her wrist. He must of felt it too because he quickly dropped her wrist. "What?" she asked him breathlessly.

He held up a pencil, _her_ pencil she realized, "You dropped this on your way out". She looked at him with wide eyes, not because he was holding her pencil, she wasn't even paying attention to that, her gaze, instead, was on his middle finger, where an usually large ring rested. The ring…it was the same one worn by the man in her dreams. It was the exact same one, with the same crest that she had been drawing nonstop since she first dreamt of it. So that night after the carnival _wasn't_ the first time she had dreamt of him. Stefan's eyes narrowed when he noticed her staring at his ring, "Are you okay?" he asked. She didn't say anything, she simply stepped away from him, her gaze still on his ring, before she turned on her heel and quickly walked away from him.

Sarah quickly rounded the corner, praying that Stefan wouldn't follow her, and without realizing, she bumped into someone. It was Mark.

"Woah, you okay?" Mark asked, his hands immediately gripping her shoulders to steady her, "You look like you've just seen a ghost".

She immediately shrugged him away, "I'm fine. I just…I feel sick".

He frowned, "Well then, let me walk you to the nurse's office".

She shook her head, "I'm fine, school's out, I was just heading home".

Mark looked at her closely, "Sarah, you've literally lost all color in your face. You need to sit down for a few minutes".

She reluctantly allowed him to walk her to the nurse, not feeling like arguing with him at the moment.

They walked down the hallway and made a left, where the nurse's office was. Sarah abruptly stopped when she saw Stefan standing in front of the door. Sarah looked back around and then looked back at him. Hadn't he just been…how did he get there so quickly?

Mark kept walking, dragging her along with him and upon noticing Stefan, he frowned.

"Excuse me, man" he said to Stefan, signaling Stefan that he should move.

But Stefan ignored him, instead he was staring down at her, "What was that back there?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said quickly.

Mark looked back and forth between them, "What is he talking about, Sarah?" he asked her.

"Nothing," she said to him before she turned around to leave. Mark reached out to hold her back, but Stefan was quicker and already had his hand around her arm. She struggled against his grasp, "Let me go".

"Hey man, lay off" Mark said sternly, noticing that Stefan was hurting her and shoved him to the side. Stefan could feel his anger boiling up and he wanted nothing more in that moment to tear his head from his body. "This doesn't concern you," Stefan said through gritted teeth.

Mark folded his arms across his chest, "It concerns her, it concerns me".

Sarah shook her head, "Mark, don't be an idiot".

"I told you Sarah, if he ever hurt you, I'd kick his ass" he said seriously as his hands balled up into fists. Stefan chuckled.

"Think this is funny? Let's see how funny you think it is when you're black and blue" Mark said as he stepped towards him.

"Don't provoke me," Stefan warned. Mark tackled Stefan but Stefan, being a vampire, was much quicker to retaliate and he got up before he slammed Mark into the lockers. With one hand, he squeezed Mark's neck, to the point where he started turning purple. If he tightened his grip a little more, he could snap his neck…

"Stop it!" Sarah screamed. Stefan reluctantly released Mark, who then slid to the floor, gasping for air.

"What is going on here?" Sarah turned around to see that the nurse had emerged from her office, probably after hearing her scream. Sarah looked back at Stefan and Mark, only to see that Stefan was completely gone.

The nurse, upon seeing Mark, walked over to him, "Are you okay, honey?".

Mark nodded, his face slowly returning to its regular hue, "Swallowed my gum," he said hoarsely. The nurse frowned and looked at them both before returning to her office.

"Are you okay?" Sarah asked him once the nurse was gone.

He nodded, "That…wasn't fun".

"You really need to stop antagonizing people because you only end up hurt" she said with a shake of her head, reminding him of the time with John and how he nearly broke Mark's arm.

"How was I supposed to know that he was freakishly strong too?" he said, snatching his backpack off the floor and slipping it on his shoulder. It was true, Stefan was freakishly strong, she hadn't seen strength like that from anyone but John.

"I'm telling you Sarah, I got a bad feeling about that guy. I don't think he's human".

And for once, she actually agreed with Mark because she was almost a hundred percent positive that Stefan was most definitely not human.

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><p><strong>AN: Review, pretty please!<strong>

**P.S. Has anyone gotten the Nylon mag issue with Dianna on the cover? When I first heard about it, I went crazy, I was so excited. My favorite actress on the cover of my favorite magazine looking like my favorite model. Oh man, fangirl moment...My apologies lol. =]**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Big thanks to those who reviewed! Now that I'm on break, hopefully I'll be able to update more often! So, read. enjoy. review, please!**

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><p>That night Sarah had another dream, except this dream played out more like a nightmare. She was with Stefan. Only Stefan wasn't Stefan, at least he didn't look like Stefan. This dream Stefan had a savage face, a snarling mouth with teeth that were undoubtedly canine, more like fangs in her opinion, and the worst part? His teeth were stained red. As in blood red. His teeth were stained with <em>her<em> blood. How she knew this, she didn't know. How she let this happen, again, she didn't know. It was like coming into a movie an hour in, with no idea as to what the plot was. All she knew was that the next thing she was doing was screaming. She was abruptly pulled out of her dream, more like shaken out of it, forcing her to open her eyes, only to find her parents hovering over her, horrified expressions on both their faces. Her throat felt raw and she realized that she had actually been screaming.

"I'm fine," she reassured them as she sat up, even though she was most definitely not fine. "Nightmare," she explained, when she noticed their disbelieving stares, "Watched a horror film before bed". They both looked at her with a disapproving shake of the head.

"I know, stupid idea," she said sheepishly, "But I'm fine. You can go back to bed".

They reluctantly left her room, leaving her alone. She wiped her forehead and grimaced when she realized that her body was coated with her sweat. She immediately got out of bed to change clothes.

Stefan jerked awake to find himself in a cold sweat, his fangs fully extended. _Her_ screams seemed to echo in his ears, burning his eardrums. He quickly retracted his fangs and sat up in his bed, his room silent aside from his heavy breathing. He touched his lips briefly and sighed in relief when he didn't feel any liquid on them. He shuddered. He could practically smell her blood on him. An uneasy feeling arose in his stomach, settling into a knot that made him nauseous. That dream…nightmare…was far too real for his liking. He leaned back into his pillows, his gaze on the ceiling above him, a small part of him too afraid to shut his eyes again. When he finally closed his eyes again, Sarah's smiling face was the first thing he saw. There was no blood, no terror, no screams. This calmed him somewhat, a small part of him reassuring himself that she was fine and he knew that he'd be able to get back to sleep again.

To say the least, Sarah wasn't looking forward to going to school the next day. She hadn't been able to get back to sleep after that incident, not only because it terrified her, but because it raised more questions to the already long list she had. A part of her told her to dismiss these dreams as part of her overactive imagination while another part of her told her that they meant something. But what? That Stefan was a monster? Very unlikely. She pushed the thought away as she pulled into the school's parking lot. It was only the second day of school and yet it already felt as though she'd been here for months already.

The day was going by incredibly slow for Stefan and it didn't help that he hadn't seen _her_ all morning. This aggravated him more than he liked to admit and made him quite irritable, causing his classmates to steer clear of him. That last part was the only perk. He found his irritability slowly starting to wane as he headed towards his fourth period class. He walked into English and took his seat before noticing that Sarah hadn't arrived yet. He did his best to ignore the numerous questions that rose upon noticing her absence and focused on what their teacher was scribbling on the front board. Stefan pulled his binder out of his backpack and uncapped his pen before he wrote his name in the corner of his paper, not bothering to look up even though Mark James was making his way over to him. _This kid really didn't know when to back down, he thought to himself._

"What do you want, Mark?" he asked him when he heard his breathing right next to him.

"Stay away from Sarah, alright Salvatore?" he said gruffly. _At least he went straight to the point, Stefan thought to himself. _But that didn't irritate him any less.

Stefan stood up from his seat and looked at Mark, "I beg pardon?".

Mark glared at him, "I don't know what you are, but I sure as hell know you are not human. So back off if you don't want to be exposed".

Stefan chuckled and leaned into him so that only he could hear him, "I am not someone you want to aggravate and right now, you are ticking me off. So if you want to live to see another day, I would suggest that _you_ back off. Because if you get in my way again, I will rip your heart out before you can even blink. Got that?".

Stefan allowed his eyes to get dark and veiny, just to emphasize his point. And by the way Mark's face paled, the message was received. Mark turned around in a huff before begrudgingly making his way back to his seat. At that exact moment, Sarah walked into the classroom and Stefan could've sworn his heart rate quickened at the very sight of her. He ignored the sensation and sat back down in his seat.

He vaguely paid attention to their teacher's lesson like most of the students in the back of the class did. His attention, instead, was fixated on his ring before he allowed his gaze to travel over to _her_. The way she had reacted yesterday, the way she recoiled at the sight of his ring. He didn't understand it. Why did she react the way she did? She knew something, something that scared her, that much was clear. But what?

He sighed in frustration and ran a hand through his tousled hair, his gaze still on her. He couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu as he watched her. The curve of her neck when she tilted her head to one side, the way she constantly bit her lip, the sound of her heart rate increasing as if she knew he was watching her. All these things were so damn familiar, it was infuriating that he couldn't remember as to why or how he knew this. He knew that if he didn't want to go insane from all these questions, he was going to have to talk to her. It was taking a step he didn't want to take, but what other choice did he have? He needed to know what the hell was going on.

As soon as English was over, Sarah headed to her locker to pick up her lunch and drop off her books. She was in the midst of doing her locker combination when she felt a heavy gaze on her. She didn't even have to turn around, she knew who it was. She continued with her combination, then sharply opening it and putting her books inside. "Sarah". The very sound of her name on his lips was enough to make the hairs on her arms stand on edge. She reluctantly turned around to face him, "What?". He arched his eyebrow at her less than friendly tone of voice but brushed it aside, "Nothing, I just wanted to say hello. I feel like we haven't got off to the best start". She eyed him warily, "I don't know what your deal is but do me a favor and please…just stay away from me".

He snorted, his eyes growing a shade darker, "Believe me, I would like nothing more than to do that".

She sighed in frustration and slammed her locker shut, "Then why won't you?".

"Because…I can't. At least not yet".

She looked at him quizzically, "Not yet?".

"We need to talk" he stated.

She shook her head, "I have nothing to say to you".

"You're hiding something" he noted.

"I could say the same to you".

He leaned into her, "Tell me your secret and I'll tell you mine" he whispered.

She stepped away from him, "I don't have any secrets".

"Your eyes say otherwise". Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul" he explained. She rolled her eyes at him and turned on her heel before walking down the hallway. She wouldn't admit it, but a small part of her actually expected, no, more like wanted, him to follow her. She quickly dismissed the sad feeling that arose when she realized that he hadn't followed her.

She was outside, heading to her usual spot, when suddenly someone pulled her back. She quickly spun around to see that it was Mark. "Are you trying to scare the crap out of me?" she exclaimed as she swatted his arm.

"Sorry," he said quietly, "What were you doing talking to _him_?" Mark asked her.

_Him, _being Stefan, she realized.

"Nothing, he was doing most of the talking. I wanted nothing to do with him" she said in a huff. He shoved his hands into his pockets, "Well…good. Before you came into English I had a little talk with him".

She stopped, "Seriously? Mark, why can't you just butt out?"

"I was doing it for your own good! I really should report that guy, I mean he threatened to kill me and then his eyes did this crazy freaky thing".

She folded her arms across her chest, "His eyes did a crazy freaky thing?" she repeated.

He nodded, "They got all dark and _veiny, _bloodshot I guess you could say. They were like that one minute and then the next they were perfectly normal".

Sarah's stomach dropped at Mark's description of Stefan's eyes. It was eerily similar to how she would describe the way Stefan's eyes looked in her dream. How was this possible? How were her dreams coming true? First Stefan shows up in her life after she dreamt about him, and now she dreamt about him being a…monster, and now it turns out to be true?

"And don't you dare say that I'm making this up, cause I'm not" he said seriously.

She looked up at him and nodded her head, "I believe you".

He arched his eyebrows in surprise, "You do?".

"After everything that's happened, I'd be an idiot to say that you were making this up". "So where do we go from here? We can't just…." he drifted off into thought before saying, "Man if only we knew what he was, then we could find out his weaknesses or something". She nodded in agreement, her thoughts flashing back to her dream from last night.

Stefan fed on two girls during lunch in the depths of the trees, but this time he made sure not to make a mess of them so he could compel them and sent them on their way. _Someone's_ _getting soft, a small cynical voice said._ He grabbed his backpack and headed back to the school, ignoring the Ripper temptation to drain those girls completely before they made it back to the campus. He felt like he was fighting a Jekyll and Hyde complex. _If you'd just flip the switch completely, you wouldn't be feeling this way, the ripper inside told him._ "If only it were that simple," he said under his breath as he made his way towards his next class.

Sarah was in the middle of her sixth period class when realization hit her like a freight train. His eyes, his _fangs_, all the blood from her dream…_It's a ludicrous thought. They don't exist. It's impossible….they can't be real. They're purely fantasy. But then again, you thought aliens didn't exist either, she thought to herself. _Her fingers drummed against the desk. There was only one way to know if her theory was right.

By the time Culinary came around, Sarah was a nervous wreck. She had to see this plan through, she told herself over and over as she made her way to her seat. _He wouldn't dare attack you in the middle of class. He's not that stupid…._at least she hoped he wasn't. She sucked in a sharp breath as he walked into classroom, slowly making his way over to her. She wondered if he could hear her heartbeat, if he could notice how rapidly it was pounding against her ribcage. She hoped she wouldn't give herself away. He took his seat next to her and their eyes met briefly. He quickly looked away from her, turning his body so that he faced the front. She was about to do the same when she noticed an unmistakable stain on the collar of his shirt. Her throat went dry when she realized what it was. Dried blood, and presumably not his own.

Once the class got started, their teacher began giving them the instructions on how to make chicken tacos. After that everyone filed into the kitchens, each table occupying a station. The two of them worked in silence. As the chicken was cooked, she begun dicing up a tomato while Stefan grated some cheese. She kept looking at him through the corner of her eye. He wasn't paying any attention to her, at least from what she could tell. Very discretely, she moved her finger that was holding the tomato and ever so gently sliced the top of her finger, making it seem as though she accidentally sliced her finger while cutting the tomato. She winced slightly. It hurt a lot more than she thought it would.

"Ow," she said quietly, immediately setting the knife down.

She stared down at her finger, which was oozing blood, and realized she no longer heard the sound of Stefan grating the cheese. She looked over to see his hands clenching the edge of the counter, the tile giving way under his grasp. A low growl emitted from his throat as she looked away from his grasp and into his incredibly dark bloodshot eyes. They were exactly as Mark had described them. Dark, bloodshot…inhuman. They were identical to how they had appeared in her dream last night. He quickly turned away from her and squeezed his eyes shut as he breathed heavily. She stared at him for a moment, part of her relieved that she now knew what he was, but another part of her saddened that she had been right. She really didn't want to be right about him, not when the truth was so horrible. And heartbreaking.

Sarah reluctantly looked away from him to rinse her cut off in the sink. She walked away from their counter and headed over to the teacher's desk to ask for a band-aid. When she returned to their space, she found that he was gone. She continued on working, not even bothering to tell their teacher that her partner had abruptly left her alone. She had been right. Stefan really was a monster. More specifically, he was a vampire.

He didn't come to school for the rest of the week. Nobody really paid attention to his absence, except for her…and Mark. Especially Mark. "What did you do? Did you say something to the guy? Did you threaten him or something?" he asked her Friday morning as they headed to Government together.

Sarah shook her head, "I didn't do anything" she lied.

She was in English, staring at his empty seat while their teacher lectured them, when a horrible thought came to mind. What if he never came back? She couldn't even fathom the very idea of that happening. He had to come back, he just had to. She didn't think she would be able to bear it if he didn't.

Sarah woke up to the sun's early morning rays hitting her face. She reluctantly opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling for a minute before pulling herself out of bed. She glanced over at her clock, it was still early, barely eight o'clock. Usually she liked to sleep in a little longer on Saturdays, but she figured that was pointless, seeing as how she hardly slept anymore. She stretched out her back before heading downstairs to make some breakfast. The house was quiet, with her parents at work and her brother sleeping over at a friends house, she was left to spend the day as she pleased without any interruptions. As soon as she finished with her breakfast, she headed back up to her room to change out of her pajamas. Once that was done, she walked over to her window to see what the weather was like. She glanced down at her backyard and her body immediately froze at what she saw.

Stefan standing in the middle of her backyard. He looked upward as if his eyes had been magnetically drawn to hers. Her breath caught in her throat. He wore a black t-shirt, dark jeans, and black boots. His biceps bulging from beneath the dark fabric of his shirt. His green eyes sparkled like emeralds in the sunlight. He was breathtaking. She stepped away from the window, her heart now beating rapidly against her chest. Why was he here? How did he even know where she lived? Her first instinct was to go downstairs to him but then she thought of a possible reason to his being here. She was probably the only one in this town who knew what he was. He was probably here to get rid of her! She swallowed hard and shook her head of the thought. _Just go out there and see what he wants, he isn't going to kill you, a small voice told her. _She took a deep breath before heading downstairs and outside to the back porch.

She stepped out onto the porch and noticed that he hadn't budged since she saw him through her window. "What are you doing here?" she asked quietly.

"I wanted to see you" he replied, his hands now behind his back.

She bit her lip, "I don't-"

"Want anything to do with me, I know" he finished for her.

"Stefan, why are you here? How did you even know where I lived?" she questioned.

"I followed you home the other day".

"Totally doesn't sound like a stalker at all" she muttered.

He shrugged, "What can I say? I was curious as to where you lived".

She frowned, "If you only came here to antagonize me, I think I'll be going" she said before turning around to head back inside.

"You and I need to talk, Sarah. I'll wait here all day if I have to. All night even". She reluctantly turned back around to face him. She then stepped down from the porch, cautiously making her way towards him.

She folded her arms across her chest, "Okay, talk".

He shook his head, "Not here…let's go for a walk".

She bit her lip unsurely, "My parents-"

"Are at work. And your little brother is at a friend's house for the rest of the day. So you can't pull that 'my parents wouldn't approve' bit or the 'I need to baby-sit' one".

She frowned, "How did you-?".

"I'm very observant" he replied. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He turned on his heel and started walking towards the woods. He stopped and looked over at her, "Coming?".

She looked at him unsurely before taking a deep breath and following him.

"I'm surprised you agreed to this" he commented when he saw her following him.

She frowned, "Why?".

"Because I very well might be leading you to your death".

"If you had wanted me dead, you would've done it already".

"Not necessarily".

"Is that supposed to be funny?". He merely smiled.

"So what should we talk about first?" he asked her after about ten minutes of walking through the woods together.

She shrugged, "What is there to talk about really?".

He snorted and stopped in front of her, "You can stop playing ignorant. I know you know what I am. That stunt you pulled the other day gave you away".

"What is that exactly?".

"I shouldn't have to tell you. My question is, how did you figure it out so…quickly?" he asked curiously.

"Mark told me about your little confrontation and about how your eyes changed" she said quietly as she walked around him.

He frowned, "That couldn't of been enough for you to piece the puzzle together".

"The blood on your collar sure helped".

He folded his arms across his chest and followed her, "There's something else, something you're not telling me. Actually many things you aren't telling me but we'll get to that later".

"How did you know that I had purposely cut my finger?" she inquired.

He chuckled and kicked a rock in his path, "You were practically sweating bullets and your heart was racing a mile a minute. It was a dead giveaway that you were up to something". She frowned and kept on walking.

"If I ask you another question, will you answer it?".

She shrugged, "Possibly".

"Before I got into that fight with Mark, when you saw my ring…it was as if you had seen it before".

"I saw it on the first day of school, I merely got a closer look at it that day" she explained.

"That's a lie if I've ever heard one. Why then did you react the way you did?".

"I was just surprised at the…intricacy of the design".

He looked at her disbelievingly, "Okay, how did you know my name when nobody had told you it"

"What-how did you know about that?" she asked quietly.

"I overheard your conversation with Mark that day during lunch" he explained.

She looked at him in surprise, "How? You weren't anywhere in sight!".

"I can hear from miles away. It wasn't that difficult".

She folded her arms across her chest, "It's rude to listen in on people's conversations".

"It's also rude to lie to people's faces" he countered. She looked away from his heated gaze and began fiddling with the hem of her cardigan.

"You know… I could always _make_ you tell me what you know".

She arched her eyebrow in surprise, "Then why don't you?" she said rather coldly.

His jaw tightened, "Look I just want answers".

"Well that makes two of us".

"It's going to be pretty difficult to figure out some answers when you won't be honest with me".

She sighed, "Okay. I'll tell you. But you have to promise not to make fun of me about it".

He sat down beside her and nodded, "Promise".

"I guess I should start at the beginning. A few weeks before the carnival started, I begun to have these dreams…where it's me and this stranger. The dreams really didn't make sense and I couldn't see the face of the guy in my dream".

"Then when the carnival came around and there was a fortune teller there…she said something to me in another language, Italian I think, and then she said, _'The one you have been seeking will return to you tonight'_. Naturally, I had assumed that she had meant…um…someone else. But right after that, I saw you".

"Go on," he urged.

"Well that night I had a dream about you…Anyways on the first day of school, I was surprised to see you there when we started school. At lunch, when I was talking to Mark, I honestly have no idea how I knew your name. It just…came to me, I guess".

"When I saw your ring, I recognized it because in my dreams that's what the guy wore on his right hand".

"You mean I was the one…"

She nodded sheepishly, "And this was before I had even seen you before. That's why I freaked out when I saw it. And then that night, I had _another _dream…. more like a nightmare really".

He frowned and looked over at her, "Why do you say that?".

She bit her lip, "Well because…first of all you were in it. But you didn't look as you do now. I mean your eyes were all dark and bloodshot, you had fangs, and-"

"I was covered in your blood," he finished quietly.

Her eyes widened, "How did you know about that?".

"Let's just say that you are not the only one who has been having dreams".

"What do you suppose all this means?" she asked him quietly before taking a seat on the grass. He sat down next to her, "That night of the carnival, I left after seeing you and then came back later. Truthfully, I came back to find you. Anyways, I ran into that fortune teller and she told me some things…about you".

She frowned, "About me?".

He nodded, "She said that when she took your palm, she said that she looked into your past and she said that…"

"Said what?".

"Well, that I was apart of your past".

"But how could you? I mean we've never met before".

He nodded, "There's more. She kept calling you an Old soul".

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "An Old soul?".

He nodded, "Supposedly that is what you call one who is frequently reincarnated".

Her eyes widened, "_Reincarnated_?".

He nodded, "That was basically my reaction," he said with a chuckle.

"But how…," she looked over at him, "Do you think she was telling the truth?".

"I don't know. But even if you were an Old soul, I would've had some recollection of you if I had met you before".

She nodded, "That's true…but I don't understand how else we could explain this…connection we have. I mean, in my dreams it always felt as if we knew each other before hand. Did the fortune teller say anything else to you?".

He nodded, "She said that you are my soulmate".

"S-Soulmate?".

"Crazy, I know, but that's what she said".

She swallowed hard, "Did she say anything else to you?".

"She also said that we are better off together than apart".

"Oh" was all she managed to say.

"It's a lot to take in, I know" he said quietly, "But for all we know that fortune teller could've been full of crap".

"Do you believe that she was?". He looked down at the grass and remained silent.

"Stefan, there's something that I have to tell you" she said quietly.

"What?".

She bit her lip hesitantly before saying, "I have a boyfriend".

"I'm not surprised. Why are you telling me this?".

"Because, you need to know. I don't want us to get close and for you to think that-"

"Believe me, the thought never crossed my mind" he said rather harshly.

"I've hurt you," she said softly.

He looked over at her and shook his head, "Honestly Sarah? I could care less if you have a boyfriend".

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry I had to cut it off there but this chapter was getting alot longer than I had expected. Reviews, please?<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Big thanks to those who reviewed! Wow, this chapter was a lot longer than I had intended. Hope you don't mind! So, Read. Enjoy. Review(please)! Probably won't update until after Christmas, so I want to wish everyone a happy Christmas, or Hanukkah, or Kwanza, or whatever it is you celebrate! lol**

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><p>"What's his name?" Stefan asked her, finally breaking the prolonged silence between them. They hadn't spoken for a good ten minutes or so.<p>

"John," she answered quietly as she picked blades of grass from the ground, "John Smith".

He snorted at the name and kept his gaze on the open field in front of them. They fell into silence again. "Mind if I ask another question?" he said quietly.

She shook her head and looked over at him, "Go ahead".

"How are you taking this so well? Most people wouldn't be so calm if they learned they were sitting next to a vampire. I mean, the last person who found out the truth about me was less than okay about it". He watched as she fiddled with the hem of her skirt. She sighed, "Let's just say that you're not the first…non-human…that I've met".

His eyebrows arched in surprise, "Really?".

"My boyfriend, John, he isn't human…exactly". Stefan finally allowed himself to look over at her, "What is he?".

She smiled slightly, "You aren't going to believe me".

The corners of his mouth perked up, "You're talking to a vampire, remember?".

"He's an alien".

"An alien?" he repeated.

She nodded, "As in not from this planet".

"I know I shouldn't be surprised, seeing as what I am but… I never would've thought that aliens even existed".

She nodded in agreement, "It makes you question what else is real doesn't it?".

He nodded, "So where is John? On some other planet?". She could tell by his tone of voice that he was mocking John.

She shook her head, "He's out searching for others like him. You see there were nine of them, not including their guardians, sent here after their planet was destroyed. They were all split up so that the Mogodorians, these hideous bad guys, wouldn't find them. The Loriens, that's what John is, they all have numbers, and the Mogs have to kill them in sequential order. The first three are dead. John, he's number four, but he escaped with number six and a human named Sam, and now they're on the search for the others".

"Wow".

"My sentiments exactly" she said with a slight chuckle.

"And he just left you here," he snorted, "Some boyfriend".

She frowned, "He had to. It was too dangerous for me to come along. It wasn't like he wanted to leave me".

He pushed himself off the grass and stood up, "Is he ever coming back?".

She nodded, "He told me he would". They fell into silence again. This time Sarah was the one to break it. "Mind if I ask some questions of my own?".

He shrugged and folded his arms across his chest, "I have a feeling you're going to ask them whether or not I give my consent".

She looked up at him, "Why didn't you come to school for the rest of this past week?".

"I didn't want to see you" he answered.

He looked back at her, meeting her hurt gaze, "Don't give me that look, I have my reasons".

She pushed herself off the grass and looked at him expectantly, "Which are?".

He didn't answer her.

She sighed, her gaze drifting down to her shoes briefly, "Look, I…". She looked up to meet his gaze only to see that he had disappeared. She quickly spun around, saddened and partially hurt at his sudden departure.

The rest of the weekend had gone by slower than Sarah had hoped for. Usually it was the opposite, but she was anxious to see if Stefan would return to school on Monday so that they could talk so more. She still had a ton of questions left unanswered after his abrupt departure. When Monday finally did roll around though, her hopes of talking to him where dashed when she noticed that he hadn't shown up for English. She grudgingly walked into her cooking class, thankful that at least the school day was almost done with. She sat down and pulled out her notebook. She was in the midst of writing her name on her paper when she felt her gaze being magnetically drawn upward. She looked up and was surprised to see Stefan walk through the door. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she could've sworn that her entire body did a three sixty at the sight of him.

But then she remembered that she was mad at him for ditching her in the woods and that feeling quickly went away. Sort of.

He sat down next to her and pulled out his notebook and a pen.

"Have a good weekend?" he asked her, immediately jotting down the instructions on the front board, not even glancing her way.

She frowned, "What happened the other day in the woods? You just up and deserted me in the middle of our conversation".

He shrugged, "I thought the conversation was over".

"You couldn't of at least said something? Like _goodbye_? Or _see you later, I have to go_? You ditched me without warning!".

"I'm say I'm sorry, but I'm not".

_Why is he being such a jerk today? _She huffed in frustration, "This conversation is not over yet. I still have a ton more questions to ask you".

He looked over at her, "Then ask me".

"I'm not going to ask you _here_, what if someone overheard us?". Stefan was about to reply but then their teacher walked into the room and immediately began his lecture causing the class to fall into silence.

Sarah began putting her things away once the final bell rang. She got out of her seat and threw her bag over her shoulder all while partially ignoring Stefan. She was about to leave when Stefan abruptly grabbed her arm. She turned around to face him, "What?".

He smirked and let go of her arm, "What happened to finishing our conversation?".

"Walk with me then" she replied, turning on her heel and heading out the classroom door.

They walked out of school together before crossing the street and heading towards the way to Sarah's house. Sarah looked away from him and stared up at the bright, clear sky, "So the myth about being affected by sunlight obviously isn't true".

He shook his head, "Not true, we are affected by the sunlight. Obviously we don't sparkle, but we burn if we don't have the proper protection".

She looked back over at him, her eyes narrowing, "_Proper protection_?" she repeated.

He lifted up his right hand, his lapis lazuli shining briefly in the sunlight, "As long as I wear this, I can walk in the sun without harm".

She bit her lip, "What about garlic?".

"Love it".

"Crucifixes?".

He shrugged, "Not a problem".

"Holy water?".

"Drinkable".

"Mirrors?".

He shook his head, "Myth".

"Do you eat human food?".

He nodded, "I don't need it to survive but I can eat it. I mean it doesn't taste as good as it did when I was human, but I can scarf down a burger and enjoy it". She momentarily ran out of questions as her brain soaked up all this new information. He looked at her knowingly, "Go ahead, ask the question you're dying to know the answer to".

She hesitated, "Have you…do you kill people?".

"Yes".

"Could you survive on animal blood or is that just in _Twilight_?".

He smiled slightly, "No it's possible. In fact for the past seventy something years I lived on only animal blood".

She frowned, "And now you don't? What made you change?".

He shoved his hands in his pockets, "Long story".

"It's a long walk until we reach my house so you might as well just tell me".

Stefan sighed, "To make a long story somewhat short, my brother was dying, I offered myself to this werewolf/vampire hybrid named Klaus in exchange for a cure for my brother. He got the cure, and I in turn became Klaus' little lapdog, doing whatever he wanted. And what Klaus wanted was for me to revert to my old ripper ways".

"Ripper?".

"It's what they call particularly cruel, masochistic vampire who enjoys ripping his victims apart" he absentmindedly kicked a pebble in his path, "I hadn't been that way since the twenties… until now that is".

"How could you just…".

It helped that he compelled me to shut off my emotions. Older vampires can do that, they can compel other vampires into doing, thinking, saying whatever they wanted" he explained after noticing her confused expressions.

"How could you just turn off your emotions?".

"A vampire can shut off their emotions if wanted, much like a light switch".

"But why?".

"Everything is heightened for vampires, especially our emotions. For some it's so overwhelming that it becomes unbearable so we just…" he snapped his fingers, "Turn it off".

"So because Klaus compelled you, you can no longer feel?".

"After I saved Klaus' life, I became free of that compulsion. Now it's of my own free will that I've decided to shut off my emotions".

"So you don't feel at all?".

"Nope, not a damn thing". That was a partial lie.

"So when you kill an innocent person, you don't feel any remorse?".

He shook his head, "Nope".

"I don't believe you".

He merely shrugged, "Believe what you want but it's true".

She frowned, "But why would you willingly chose not to feel?".

"It's easier this way" he replied.

"That's not right".

"I've spent a long time doing what was 'right' and look where that got me".

They fell into silence momentarily. "So what happened to Klaus?".

"I saved his life in a crucial moment and earned my freedom. Although nobody is ever _really_ free of Klaus".

"I'm sorry you had to go through all that".

He shrugged, "It's what I get for trying to be the good guy".

"But now that you're no longer Klaus' why don't you go back to drinking animal blood so you won't hurt anyone?".

"Don't want to".

"Why not?".

"Because I've deluded myself for far too long into thinking that I could actually survive solely on animal blood. Human blood is what I need to survive, to be strong".

He abruptly stopped and she realized that they were in front of her house already. She reluctantly walked up the pathway, Stefan on her heels.

She fished her keys out of bag and looked up at him, "Would you like to come inside?".

He hesitated for a moment.

"My parents are still at work, if that's what you're worrying about" she said as she unlocked the door.

"Frankly I'm more worried about being alone with you than the prospect of facing your parents". She looked up at him questionably before opening the door and stepping inside. Stefan reluctantly followed her inside before closing the door behind him.

"Do you want something to drink?" she offered as she headed into the kitchen.

He followed her, "Coffee if you have it".

She nodded and grabbed him a cup of coffee, "So another question…".

He sat down at her counter, "Shoot".

"Where are you from originally?" she inquired as she handed him a cup of coffee.

He took the coffee from her, "Virginia, born and raised".

"And how old are you?" she asked before taking a seat across from him.

"Seventeen" he said innocently before taking a sip of his coffee.

She chuckled, "No, really".

He pretended to do the math in his head which caused her to laugh again, "Technically I'm a hundred and sixty-two".

She stared at him, her mouth agape, "Wow…you're…".

"Old, I know" he said with another sip of his coffee.

"I was going to say ancient" she said with a chuckle. He playfully glared at her.

"You sure drink an awful lot of coffee. Is it a vampire thing or something?" she asked him when she poured him his third cup of coffee.

He chuckled, "The caffeine circulates through our veins and warms our bodies so that we're not so cold to the touch. See?".

He took her hand in his, allowing her to feel the warmth. Their hands stayed like that a little longer than necessary. It wasn't until Sarah's phone started to ring when they pulled away. She watched as he took another sip as she fished through her bag for her phone.

"Coffee, like alcohol, also helps to take the edge off".

She finally found her phone and immediately pressed it to her ear, "Hello?".

It was her mother. They talked briefly for a few seconds before hanging up.

"Need me to leave?" Stefan asked her once she put her phone down.

She shook her head, "It was my mother inquiring my two cents for dinner. She's still at work though and won't be back until later". He nodded and got up out of his chair.

She got up too, "Do you…um…want to go hang out upstairs?". _God, how lame she sounded just then! _

He shrugged, "Sure". She led him upstairs, only pausing momentarily when she realized that she might not of cleaned her room. She continued onward once Stefan asked her if she was okay and mentally prayed that she didn't have an bras lying around anywhere in sight.

She walked into her room, instantly scanning for certain articles of clothing anywhere and sighed in relief when she saw nothing.

"Wow". She swiftly turned around only to see that Stefan was looking at her table full of cameras.

She blushed sheepishly, "Yeah, I kind of have a thing for photography".

"I remember these. I had one of these back in the day" he said, holding up her vintage 1950's brownie camera. She watched as he put it down, "It was my grandfather's. He left it to me when he passed away". A sudden thought occurred to her, "Do _you_ photograph?".

He smiled slightly, "It depends, will you try and take a picture of me if I say _yes_?".

"Of course" she said with a chuckle before picking up her favorite camera.

"In that case, _no, _I do not photograph" he said with a shake of his head. Her eyes narrowed and nevertheless brought her camera up to her face and snapped a picture of him. He scowled and walked away from her.

She sat down on her bed and watched as he looked around her room.

He stopped in front of her nightstand and picked up the book that was next to her alarm clock, "Jane Eyre".

She nodded, "I've read it a dozen times already. It's one of my favorites".

He shrugged, "Never read it".

She stared at him, her mouth agape, "You're kidding".

He smiled slightly at her expression and put the book down, "Is that a bad thing?".

She playfully rolled her eyes, "Uh yeah".

She walked over to him and handed him the book back, "You can borrow it and once you're done with it, you can tell me how amazing it is".

He sat down on the edge of her bed, "I'll be sure to do that".

She put her camera down and looked over at him, "Okay, I have another question to ask".

Stefan groaned, "You're killing me with all these questions".

"Well, it's a good thing you're already dead".

He sighed, "Proceed with your question".

"First you have to promise not to suddenly disappear like you did back in the woods".

"Fine, I promise".

"Okay, why do you sometimes...I don't know…act like such a jerkface? During cooking you were a jerk to me and now suddenly…believe it or not you're actually fun to be around".

He raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Me? Fun to be around? Wow, that's a first. I've never heard that one before".

She frowned, "Answer the question, Stefan".

He shrugged, "I don't know, that's how I am, I guess. Just call me Mr. Jerkface".

"You and I both know that's a lie".

"You're talking to a Ripper, remember? We're not exactly known for our pleasant attitudes".

"I think you were just acting like that because you wanted to hurt me. Is that it?". He didn't say anything.

"I don't understand why though, it's not like I did anything" she said quietly, reaching out and grabbing one of her pillows before hugging it to her chest.

"You did more than you know" he said under his breath. Unfortunately for him, she had heard what he said.

She folded her arms across her chest, "Elaborate".

He clenched his jaw, "It's just infuriating…".

"What is? Me? I'm infuriating?".

He sighed in frustration and quickly got off her bed, "Yes…and no".

"Help me out here Stefan, I'm lost".

"It's just infuriating that you can make me feel!" he snapped.

"What?".

"As much as I hate to admit it, every second I'm around you, I find myself feeling more and more, which is the opposite of what I want. I flipped the switch, dammit, I'm not supposed to feel. And yet here I am, _feeling_…because of you".

He walked over to one of her walls and punched it so hard that his fist left an puncture mark. "As soon as I leave you, I feel nothing. But as soon as I get in the same vicinity with you, all that goes straight to hell and I hate it".

"Maybe all this is happening because you were meant to feel".

He shook his head, "Yeah right".

She sighed in frustration, "You can act like you're a horrible, emotionless, _ripper_ all you want Stefan, but its clear that is not who you are. I can see that this isn't you. You said it yourself that the eyes are the windows to the soul and right now, what I'm seeing in yours is someone who wants to feel, who's good and has just lost his way".

She moved closer to him and touched his arm, "You don't have to spend the rest of eternity playing the bad guy".

He shook his head and moved away from her, "I can't go back to the way I was before, Sarah."

He walked over to her nightstand and picked up her copy of _Jane Eyre_, "I'll see you tomorrow". "But-"

Sarah blinked and Stefan was gone _yet_ again.

That night Sarah woke with a start and she flew into a sitting position, her heart pounding against her chest at such an alarming rate, she was positive that her heart was seconds away from leaping out of her chest. "Dammit," she whispered, her face going in her hands when she realized it was just _another_ dream. She took a deep breath before groaning. This time around, she was being chased in the woods. Not by Stefan, thank goodness, but by some girl whom she'd never seen before in her life. The girl was a vampire, she knew that much by her speed. And when the vampire finally caught up with her, which wasn't difficult, she merely said to her, "_Maybe this time you'll learn not to come back". _The next thing Sarah knew was the girl sinking her teeth into the side of her neck. That's when she woke up.

She walked into English class to find that her copy of _Jane Eyre _was sitting on her desk. She looked over to see Stefan already in his seat. She walked over to her desk and picked up the book, "Did you finish it already?".

He nodded and stood up from his seat, "Last night".

She put the book in her bag and looked at him expectantly, "And what did you think of it?".

He smiled weakly, "It was very good. I enjoyed it thoroughly". He leaned in closer to her and she shivered slightly. "I'm sorry about snapping yesterday. I-".

"It's okay. I get it".

He shook his head, "I don't think you do. I've done some terrible things in my lifetime and I just can't let everything back in, at least not this time around".

"Just remember that I'm here for you, no matter what".

He nodded, "I know and I really appreciate it. Truly I do. And I'll do my best to not be such a _jerkface_ to you".

"I appreciate it". She smiled and sat down in her seat as he returned to his own.

Sarah was on her way towards the girl's bathroom during lunch when all of a sudden she was cornered by Mark. She sighed, "Mark, what do you want?".

"What the heck were you doing talking to Salvatore?".

"We were talking about a book I lent him, not that it is any of your business".

He looked at her in disbelief, "Since when did you guys get to become such buddy buddies? Don't you remember what I told you? With his eyes? The guy's not human, you need to stay away from him, you could get hurt".

"Stefan wouldn't hurt me".

"John would totally rip that guy to shreds if he found out what you were doing with Stefan".

Her eyes narrowed, "What _exactly_ am I doing with Stefan?".

"Something's totally going on with you two! I see the flirting-"

"Flirting? Are you insane? I'm not flirting with Stefan! He's just a friend!".

Mark rolled his eyes, "Yeah, okay, Sarah. I see the way you two look at each other. It's like…" he did some weird hand movements, "I don't know what, but it's weird. Whatever's going on with you two, you just better pray John doesn't find out, cause he will totally incinerate that guy. I just hope you know what you're doing". With that, he turned on his heel and walked away.

_I wasn't flirting with Stefan. He is just a friend, she thought to herself as she continued on her way to the bathroom. I'm with John, he's the one I love. Not Stefan…_

Sarah found herself more anxious to get to cooking more than usual. _It's because you can't wait to see Stefan, a small voice told her. _She shook her head of the thought as she entered the classroom. She found that Stefan was already there and could've sworn that she saw his eyes light up when their eyes met. She smiled at him and walked over to her seat.

About halfway into the class, she found her gaze drifting over to Stefan every so often. _God, he has gorgeous eyes, she thought to herself, And _those_ lips! I wonder what it would feel like to….Woah! Stop it! You should not be thinking about him like that! He is not your boyfriend, she scolded herself. _He looked over at her, noticing her staring. Their gazes locked and she immediately grew warm inside, fighting the urge to melt under his piercing stare. And when his foot accidentally bumped against hers, her whole body tingled. _Get a hold of yourself, Sarah!_

She waited until school was out to tell Stefan about her nightmare. As they walked through the woods to their last meeting spot, she told him that there was something that she needed to tell him.

He looked down at her, "You had another nightmare".

She nodded, "Yeah, how did you know?".

He shrugged, "I don't know. It's just last night…I…well it felt like…I just felt like something was wrong with you, like something had happened. I stopped by after that but you were…".

"_You stopped by_?".

He nodded, "I know, incredibly creepy and stalkerish of me, but I had to see for myself that you were okay. Believe me, once I knew you were okay, I quickly left".

Sarah wasn't creeped out at the fact that he had stopped by, but more freaked out at the thought that she might have had bed head hair when he had stopped by.

He scratched at the back of his neck uncomfortably, "So what happened in your dream? I didn't kill you again, did I?".

She shook her head and sat down on the grass, "It wasn't you this time. It was someone else…another vampire".

He followed suit, "Another vampire?".

She nodded, "She was chasing me through the woods and at the last minute she killed me".

"_She_? What did she look like?".

"She was very beautiful. Brown eyes, dark curly hair, tannish skin color…she had this malicious smirk on her face though".

If he had known any better he would've said that sounded a lot like…no it couldn't be. That was impossible.

"What is it?" she asked him when she noticed his facial expression.

He shook his head, "Nothing. Did anything else happen in the dream?".

"Well before the vampire killed me, she said, '_Maybe this time you'll learn not to come back'". _He frowned.

"I'm starting to think that fortune teller had been telling the truth about me being reincarnated and all that. I mean, how else would you explain that?".

Stefan thought for a minute and sighed. If anyone would know anything about reincarnation and past lives it would be Sheila Bennett, but she was dead. Maybe Bonnie would know…It was a possibility…but he couldn't call her. She probably wouldn't help him, not after all the damage he's done. He was probably on her list of least favorite people right now, right under Klaus and Damon. He did after all break her best friend's heart. He shook his head at the absurd thought and looked back at Sarah, who was looking at his arm.

Sarah was deep in thought when her gaze landed on the ink that peeked out from underneath Stefan's shirt. She wondered how she had never noticed that before. He must of noticed her starting because the next she knew was him rolling his sleeve up, revealing his tattoo to her. It was of a rose. Her hand automatically flew to her necklace, her thumb brushing over the small rose charm that held an uncanny resemblance to his tattoo.

"Tell me that's not a coincidence".

"When did you get it?" she asked quietly, fiddling with her necklace as she tried to ignore the temptation to run her fingers over his inked skin.

"1987. My best friend Lexi and I had gone to a Bon Jovi concert and things got pretty crazy that night. I woke up to find this," he pointed towards his shoulder, "the next morning. Lexi said she also found that she had gotten a tattoo but she never told where or what it was of" he said with a slight laugh. He glanced over at his tattoo, "I never understood why I had gotten a rose of all things. I didn't dwell on it much seeing as how I was pretty hammered when I got it. But now I'm starting to think that maybe my subconscious had known something I didn't".

"You told me that fortune teller said that I've been frequently reincarnated. Maybe we shared a past life or something" she had meant that last part as a joke but it didn't come out as a joke. "How can I have a past life, I'm dead, remember?".

She shrugged, "Maybe something happened. I don't know, it's just a thought".

He pushed his sleeve down and looked over at her, "It does feel as if we've met before, hasn't it?".

She nodded, "I keep getting this sense of déjà vu whenever I'm with you".

He nodded in agreement, "Me too".

She sighed, "I just wish there was a way to know for sure what was going on. But then again, I don't".

"You don't want to know what this," he gestured between them, "is?".

"Yes…and no. Part of me wants to know what this is and the other part of me is saying to just leave it alone. I mean, they say ignorance is bliss, right?".

He snorted, "Where I'm standing, ignorance is aggravating".

She shrugged, "Either way, I don't see how we would get answers anyways. Unless you know of a way".

He fiddled with his hands anxiously, debating on whether or not to throw his suggestion out there. Maybe if he was persuasive enough, he could get Bonnie to help them out…But he really didn't want to bring anyone into this, especially Bonnie because if she found out about this, she would without a doubt tell Elena. And she was the last person he wanted to know about this. But what other choice did he have? He and Sarah needed answers and they needed them soon because he feared that what ever this was would only get worse with time.

He looked back at Sarah, "If I said I knew where we could get some answers, would you be willing to take a little trip with me?".

She straightened up, "A trip where?".

"To a small town called Mystic Falls".

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><p><strong>AN: Reviews = faster updates! =]<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Thanks to those who reviewed! Here's my christmas present to you all, another chapter! lol. I'm pretty sure this is the longest chapter I've ever written. So sorry it's so long! Anyways, read. enjoy. review! =]**

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><p>"Mystic Falls?" she repeated, "Never heard of it. Where is it?".<p>

"It's my hometown, in Virginia" he explained.

"And what makes you think we could find some answers there?".

"Well, I know this witch…".

Sarah's eyes widened, "_Witch_? You mean they're real?".

He chuckled, "Yeah, back in Mystic Falls….well let's just say that there are a bunch of unusual characters down there".

"Like what?".

"The usual…vampires, witches, werewolves, doppelgangers, hybrids, ghosts….".

She stared at him, her mouth slightly agape.

"Like I was saying, I know this witch and she's probably the only chance we have in getting some answers".

"Really? Why didn't you mention this before?".

"Well…we're aren't really on good terms now. My whole being a _Ripper_ again has caused me to be on the outs with most of my friends". He stood up and looked at her, "Say you'll come with me".

She stood up as well, "I…I can't…. I can't just leave! What would my parents say?".

Stefan scratched the back of his neck, "I don't know. Look, from here to Mystic Falls…it's like an eight hour drive. I can get you home and back before they even notice".

"I don't know…."

"Don't you trust me?". "This has nothing to do with trust but when my parents find out I've gone AWOL to go on a road trip to _Virginia _with a boy they've never met…they're going to kill me".

"Take a chance, look we can make up a better explanation while we're on the road…do you want to find out what this is or not?".

She sighed and grabbed her bag off the ground, "Okay".

Stefan grabbed his backpack too, "Okay, what time did you say your parents would get home?".

Sarah glanced at her phone, "Not for another hour at least".

Stefan nodded, "Okay, I will go get my car and I'll pick you up at your house". Sarah nodded and begun making her way back towards her house. She didn't even have to look back to see that Stefan had left already.

She had walked into her house through the back door and had just come out of her room, carrying some spare clothes to put in her bag. As she headed downstairs, the doorbell rang. _Wow, that was fast, she thought. _She hurriedly shoved her things in her bag and made her way to the front door. She opened it and wasn't surprised to see Stefan on the other side.

"You ready?" he asked her. She nodded and closed the door behind her, before locking it.

"You sure are fast," as she followed him to his car.

"I'm a vampire, remember?" he said with a smirk as he opened the passenger door for her. She slid into the car and before she even closed the passenger door, Stefan was already in the driver's seat. "This is a nice car, when did you get it?".

"Truthfully, I kind of…stole it".

She looked at him with wide eyes.

"When I first came to town, I was in need of a car and I kind of just took it".

"I'm traveling with a criminal!".

Stefan merely laughed.

"You do realize that we will get in so much trouble if we get pulled over? We could end up going to jail!" she shrieked.

"Relax, Sarah, we won't get pulled over" he said with a smile as he pulled away from the sidewalk.

They had arrived in Mystic Falls a little after midnight. Sarah gazed out the window as she took in Stefan's hometown. It was a small town just like Paradise. It was picturesque almost. Since it was so late, the town was practically deserted, with all the shops and restaurants closed down. "So how do you know this witch?" she asked him once they got into the more residential areas. They hadn't spoken much about this thing between during the drive over here, instead talking about music, movies, the light stuff because frankly they didn't know how much more they could talk about the other stuff seeing as how they were still as clueless as before.

"Truthfully?".

Sarah took her gaze away from her window and looked over at Stefan, "Let me guess, she's your ex?".

Stefan smiled weakly and shook his head, "No. The _best friend _of my ex".

"Wow, that's got to be awkward, asking for her help".

He nodded, "Extremely. But she's the only chance we've got to get some answers. I just hope she helps us" he said before parking the car on the side of the curb in front of a house.

"Do you think she's still awake?" Sarah asked as she checked her phone for the time, and ignoring the fact that she had about a dozen missed calls from her parents.

"Bonnie's a night owl, I'm pretty sure she will be" Stefan replied before getting out of the car.

She slipped her phone back into her pocket and got out of the car too.

Stefan walked up to Bonnie's house, with Sarah on his heels and mentally prayed that Elena or Caroline weren't having a sleepover or something with her. He stepped onto the porch and rang the doorbell. He could hear Bonnie's footsteps slowly getting louder as she approached the door. He listened as she unlocked the door and stepped back once she opened the door.

Her eyes widened in surprise, "Stefan".

He nodded, "Bonnie".

She folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the doorway, "What are you doing here? I thought you skipped town".

"I did, but I needed to come back. I needed to talk to you, actually, _we_ needed to talk to you" he said, his gaze drifting over to Sarah.

Bonnie's gaze moved over to Sarah, "Who is this? Your dinner?".

"She's a friend" Stefan explained.

Bonnie looked Sarah up and down, "She's human".

Her gaze reverted back to Stefan, "What, did you compel her or something?".

"Of course he didn't!" Sarah exclaimed.

"Then do you mind telling me what's going on, Stefan? Because last time I checked it's after midnight" Bonnie asked, her heated gaze on Stefan.

"We will tell you everything but you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone that I'm back in town, especially Elena".

"You are really in no position to be asking for favors, Stefan. Besides I can't make that promise anyways".

"Please Bonnie, you want what's best for Elena right?".

"Of course I do".

"Well what's best for her is to move on. I don't want her to think…Look please, if you must just tell her _after_ we leave".

Her eyes narrowed, "Why are you here Stefan?".

He sighed, "I need your help"

Bonnie couldn't help but roll her eyes, "Of course you do".

"Look I didn't want to come here, but it isn't just me that needs your help" he said referring to Sarah.

"What is it, because I've a little preoccupied lately trying to find a way to kill Klaus since _you_ ruined our only chance of doing so at Homecoming".

"I had to Bonnie, if I had let Damon kill him, he would of died too".

"I can't believe it, you ruined our only chance of killing Klaus for good just to save _Damon?_ I'm sorry, Stefan, but after everything he's done, he deserved to die. It definitely would've been worth it".

Stefan's jaw tightened and he took a deep breath, "Look, I'm not here to talk about Klaus. What do you know about reincarnation?".

Bonnie frowned, "Reincarnation?".

He nodded. She shrugged, "Not much, I mean my grams told me about it a bit. I've come across it in some of her psychology books…why?".

"It's just…a series of events had led us to believe that Sarah here has had past lives and I'm somehow apart of them. We just need to find out if it's true or not".

Sarah nodded, "We thought that maybe you could use a spell…".

"Why the hell should I help you Stefan? Or should I say, Mr. Ripper?".

Stefan sighed, "Look I know that I've given you no reason to help me but please, I am begging you. I will do whatever you want".

"Fine, I'll help you. But on one condition".

He sighed in relief, "You name it".

"Once I finish helping you two, you have to promise not to return to Mystic Falls. The less vampires in this town, the better".

He nodded, "Okay, done".

She reluctantly stepped aside, "This is the last time I'm inviting you inside my house, Stefan". Stefan nodded and stepped inside with Sarah behind him.

Bonnie led them to her living room, "Go ahead and sit down. I'll be right back". She disappeared momentarily only to come back a few minutes later carrying a bunch of books. She set them down on the coffee table before sitting down on a chair opposite them.

"Okay before I even open any of these and start looking for a spell, I need you two to tell me everything that's been going on with you two".

Stefan and Sarah looked at each other briefly before Stefan cleared his throat. And so they told Bonnie about what's been going on. They told her about the fortune teller, the dreams… everything. When they finished, they looked to Bonnie, who's expression was unreadable.

"Bonnie?" Stefan asked, breaking Bonnie from her thoughts.

"Okay, wow. But anyways," she grabbed a psychology book off the table, "My grams always used to say that I should never dismiss my dreams because there's always something you can learn from them. And from the few psychology books that my gram's had, they say that dreams just express your subconscious thoughts. And what I understand from those of yours, it's obvious that through your dreams, your subconscious is trying to tell you something. But it's not telling you enough".

She began flipping through the book in her lap, "There's a method in here we could try, now I don't necessarily believe in it, but we could try it before going towards the witchy stuff".

"What is it?" Stefan and Sarah both asked.

"Well," she began reading through some text in her book, "What we need is to talk to your subconscious directly, to find out what's brought all this on".

Stefan looked at Bonnie and frowned, "You mean by… hypnosis?".

Bonnie nodded, "I know it sounds silly but it's worth a shot, right?".

"I think we should do it" Sarah said quietly.

Stefan sighed, "I guess".

Bonnie got up from her chair and moved it closer to the couch, "Sarah, lay down on the couch".

Stefan stood up from his place and sat down on the arm of the couch.

"Okay Sarah, I want you to get comfortable and close your eyes" Bonnie directed, sounding as if she really were a psychologist.

Sarah took a deep breath and shut her eyes, "Okay".

"Now I want you to imagine yourself floating. Just floating and feeling relaxed. There's nothing you need to think about and nowhere you need to go. Now you're seeing yourself enveloped by a beautiful violet light. It's immersing your entire body and it's making you more and more relaxed…".

Stefan couldn't help but look over Bonnie's shoulder to read the text, "You've got to be kidding me, Bonnie. That's really what it says?".

"Shut up, Stefan" she muttered.

Bonnie cleared her throat and continued on, "Okay, Sarah now you feel yourself floating down deeper, into a deeper state of relaxation…and now you're surrounded by a deep blue light. The blue light is all around you, shining through you, and it's making you more comfortable…more relaxed".

The soothing voice went on, and at it's direction Sarah imagined waves of colored light bathing her body. She imagined all the colors. It was amazing and effortless; her mind just showed her the pictures. As the colors came and went, she found herself becoming more and more relaxed, to the point where she couldn't even feel the couch she was sitting on. She actually felt like she was floating.

"And now you're seeing a red light, very deep, very relaxing. You're calm and comfortable, and everything feels safe. You can answer all my questions without ever feeling distressed. Do you understand me?".

"Yes," Sarah said. She was aware of saying it, but it wasn't exactly as if _she_ had said it. She wasn't aware of _planning_ to say it. Something deep down seemed to be answering Bonnie using her own voice.

"Okay. I'm speaking to Sarah's subconscious. You will be able to remember things that Sarah's waking mind isn't aware of, even the things that have been repressed, do you understand?".

"Yes," Again, the voice seemed to come out before she even decided to speak.

"Good. Now does the name Stefan Salvatore mean anything to you?".

A shudder ripped through her, "Yes".

Bonnie noticed this, "Why did you tremble just now?"

"How else am I supposed to react about the man who's killed me so many times?".

"What?".

She felt herself sigh, "I suppose I shouldn't blame him. I know it's not his fault. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. This wasn't what we wanted. We were supposed to be together, but not like this…".

Bonnie glanced over at Stefan before looking back at Sarah, "Do you… love him?".

"Of course I do! Despite everything that he's done to me, he's still _my_ Stefan and he'll forever be my soulmate".

Bonnie scratched the side of her neck uncomfortably, "Okay, Sarah…let's go back. Go back in time to when you met Stefan for the first time. Think back to the first time you ever saw Stefan Salvatore".

Silence. Darkness. And then a picture slowly started to take form, like the beginning of a movie. "What do you see?" Bonnie's voice came, she seemed very far away.

"I see…me," Sarah said quietly.

"Where are you? What are you doing?" Bonnie asked, her voice seeming to get farther and farther away, Sarah almost barely heard her.

The scene in front of her was incredibly detailed. It amazed her.

"I'm in a carriage. It's a beautiful day," she sighed, "My dress, wow, my dress is gorgeous…" she then drifted off for a few minutes.

"Sarah?".

"I really hate this dress, it may be beautiful but I can hardly breathe in it. If I pass out on their lawn, mother dare not say that it was my own fault" Sarah said quietly.

Bonnie and Stefan both looked at each other.

"Huh?".

"The grass here is so green, the land doesn't even look like it's seen war. It's like a small paradise…" she continued.

Bonnie flipped through her gram's book, "Okay, Sarah, when I clap my hands you're going to awaken completely refreshed. Okay?".

"What are you talking about? I am awake. I'm on my way to the Salvatore estate."

Bonnie was about to clap her hands when Stefan stopped her. "Shh...listen to what she says".

"Why are you going to the Salvatore estate?" Bonnie asked.

Sarah let out an exasperated sigh, "Because my family has been invited to the Founder's Ball by Giuseppe Salvatore. I really don't want to attend, I won't know a soul there…".

"She's in 1864," Stefan realized.

1864, Virginia

_Sarah Emerson felt her stomach drop when she realized that her carriage had come to a stop. She watched as the attendant opened the carriage door for her and offered his hand as she stepped out. The Salvatore estate was much bigger now that she was up close. Her heart thumped rapidly against her ribcage as she watched two men walk out from inside. One older man, and one far younger. She found her breath taken away at the younger one on the porch. Giuseppe Salvatore walked up to her, a smile on his face, "Ah, Miss Emerson, such a pleasure to see you". _

_She politely curtsied, "Likewise Mr. Salvatore," her gaze briefly drifting to the young man at his side. _

"_Where are your mother and father? Still arriving, I hope?". _

"_Of course, father has been detained and mother advised that I go on ahead. They should be arriving shortly". _

"_Wonderful". _

_He stepped aside and looked over at the young man next to him, "Stefan, I would like you to meet Miss Sarah Emerson". _

_Stefan bowed and Sarah curtsied. "Miss Emerson, my youngest son, Stefan". _

"_It's a pleasure meeting you Miss Emerson". His eyes sparkled like radiant emeralds under the sunlight. _

_Sarah felt her cheeks reddening, "Please, call me Sarah". _

"_Sarah" he whispered, a smile spreading across his face. _

The picture slowly faded away around her and the scene suddenly changed. She was in a garden, a large garden, it was magnificent. _"If I could live in your gardens, I think I would. There are so many beautiful flowers, Stefan". _She realized that Stefan was beside her…and he was holding her hand. They were in different clothing from the last scene, but it looked to be the same time period. Maybe just a different day? _Sarah sighed and took a seat on the small bench with Stefan following suit. _

"_What's wrong, my love?" he asked her, concern written all over his face. _

"_I had a talk with Katherine Pierce". _The very name sent a shiver down her spine for some reason.

"_What about?" he inquired. _

"_She has feeling for you, Stefan". _

_He nodded, "I know. But she also has feelings for Damon". _

_She fiddled with her gloved hands, "But I can tell by the way she acts that you're the one she really wants. And our little talk has made that clear that she wants me to stay away from you". _

_Stefan sighed in frustration, "It doesn't matter what she wants because I don't reciprocate the feelings. I thought I did, but then I met you and those feelings completely disappeared. You are the one I love. No one is ever going to change my feelings for you". _

_He leaned into her and softly kissed her, "I love you, Sarah". _

_1922, Chicago_

The scene suddenly changed again, morphing into another scene completely. It was nighttime in this scene, the air crisp. She found herself in the scene. She was walking through a parking lot, heading somewhere in particular. She realized it was the twenties by her appearance. She had short hair and wore a sequined dress, attire resembling that of a flapper. The air was so cold that she could see her own breath coming out of her mouth. She looked around as if she didn't want to be caught.

"_Lost, beautiful?" a voice said suddenly. _

She spun around to see Stefan standing there, dressed in a tuxedo, a white rose on the lapel of his suit. His hair was slicked back but he was just as gorgeous as ever.

"_Um, no" she answered quickly. _

The way Stefan was looking at her '20's self made her involuntarily shiver.

"_You should get inside. It isn't safe for a pretty young thing like yourself to wandering out here alone" he said as he took a few steps closer to her. _He looked back at a door in which people were sneaking into. There were outside a speakeasy, she realized.

"_Would you like me to escort you inside?" he asked. _

"_No, thank you. I'm waiting for my date" she replied_. That sounded like a lie.

"_Well then I'll wait here with you until he comes. Wouldn't want anything to happen to you"._

_She politely shook her head, "Really, that isn't necessary". _

"_Oh, but I insist". _Why did she suddenly feel like something bad was going to happen? Stefan moved even closer to her and looked down, straight into her eyes.

"_You will not scream or try to run". She obediently nodded her head. _

Sarah watched in horror as Stefan suddenly sank his teeth into her '20's self. Seconds passed and she could literally see the life being sucked out of her. Stefan finally released her, her body falling limp in his arms. It didn't take a genius to see that she was dead. She helplessly watched as Stefan carried her body and _dumped_ it into a nearby dumpster before walking away like nothing happened.

1943, South Carolina

The scene changed once again, much to Sarah's relief. She didn't want to see _that_ Stefan. That wasn't her Stefan. As her surroundings changed, she realized that she was now in what looked like a dance hall. It was filled with people. She took a closer look at the women's clothing and pieced together that this had to be around the time of World War II. All the men were soldiers, she realized, all clad in their army green uniforms. She then saw the big USO banner that hung behind the band on stage as they played. Their music filled the room and mixed in with the sound of laughter.

She looked around and stopped at the sight of a group of soldiers that came through the door. They had caught the eyes of practically every girl who wasn't already taken. Her breath hitched when she saw Stefan amongst them, clad in the same army green uniform. He was absolutely positively the sexiest thing she had ever seen. What was it about the uniform that made men so irresistibly sexy? His gaze caught that of her '40's self and she watched as the scene unfolded in front of her.

_Stefan walked over to her, where she was sitting down alone at the bar, "Can I buy you a drink?" he asked her, waving down the bartender in the process. He ordered Scotch. _

_She smiled but shook her head, "No, thank you. I don't drink"._

_He sat down next to her and looked around, "So...mind telling me why you're sitting here alone? You don't seem to be enjoying yourself". _

_She pulled out her camera from her bag. "I'm a photographer for the local paper. This is strictly business". _

_He nodded, "You're pretty young to be a photographer for a paper". _

"_My father runs the paper and he hired me because he doesn't have to pay me as much as he would someone else". _

_She lifted up her camera, "Mind if I take your picture?". _

"_No, but you have to tell me about yourself first". She arched her eyebrow in surprise. _

_He smiled, "What's your name?". _

"_Baker". _

_He chuckled, "What's your first name, Miss Baker?". _

_She smiled slyly, "We're not on a first name basis yet, soldier". _

_Stefan looked over at her, "Fine. Where are you from originally, or did you grow up here?". _

_She shook her head, "I'm originally from New York. My father moved us out here a few years ago. He got tired of the city" she replied. _

"_Ah, so you're a Yankee!". _

_She laughed, "So where are you from then soldier?". _

"_Virginia, born and raised". _

"_Now what made you decide to enroll in the army or were you drafted?". _

_He smiled, "I enrolled. Felt it was my duty as an American citizen to fight for my country". _

"_Isn't that what they all say," she said with a laugh. _

_Just as she said this, the brass section of the band stood and let out the first few notes of Glenn Miller's In the Mood. _

_Stefan automatically stood up and extended his hand, "Would you like to dance?". _

_She shook her head, "I don't dance". _

"_Oh come on, do it for a soldier that ships out in a few hours. Please? Just one dance?". _

_She sighed and reluctantly got out of her seat, "I must warn you, I have two left feet". _

"_Perfectly alright" he said with a smile as he led her out onto the dance floor. He ended up keeping her out on the dance floor for way more than one dance. About halfway through their second dance, she actually felt comfortable with him. And by their seventh dance, she couldn't imagine why she had refused him in the first place. _

"_Are we on a first name basis yet?" he asked her over the loud music that just seemed to be getting louder and louder. _

_She smiled up at him, "Sarah". _

_He grinned, "I'm Stefan. Stefan Salvatore" he had to partially yell his name for everyone was so loud. Then suddenly someone tapped her on her shoulder causing her to look away from Stefan. "May I cut in?"_

_It was another soldier who had a smirk on his face as he eyed her. She could feel Stefan's grip on her tighten as he pulled her closer to him. She couldn't say that she minded it one bit. "Scram Peters, she's with me" Stefan said harshly. _

_This 'Peters' backed off and left them alone. _

"_Protective are we?" she teased. _

_He smiled, "Very. Especially of the ones I care about". _

"_Want to go outside for awhile?" he asked her once the band took a break and people began walking off the dance floor. _

_She nodded, "Sure". He took her hand in his and led her outside towards the back porch. _

"_It's a beautiful night," she mused, her gaze drifting upwards towards the full moon. He nodded and fished inside his pockets before pulling out a cigarette. She watched as she stuck one in his mouth while he looked for a match. She quickly took the cigarette out of his mouth and smashed the darn thing underneath her foot. _

_He stared at her in shock, "Hey!". _

"_Smoking is a horrible habit not to mention dangerous. You might as well start digging your grave now" she said in a huff, her foot still grounding the remains of his cigarette beneath her shoe. _

_He chuckled, "I'm not really concerned about that"._

_She frowned, "Well it should". _

_She shivered slightly as the wind picked up. Stefan noticed this and immediately took off his jacket and placed it on her shoulders. "Oh, you really didn't have to…"._

_Nonsense," he said with a warm smile. She leaned into him and rested her head against his shoulder. He smiled and gently rested his head against hers. _

"_This is nice," he whispered, gently taking her hand and intertwining it with his own. _

"_What to know something?" she asked. _

"_Sure," he replied. _

"_It feels as if I've met you before". _

_He smiled and looked back at her, "You got that feeling too?"._

_She nodded and shivered when she felt his lips against her forehead. "You are so beautiful, you know that?". _

_She looked up at him and smiled, "That's sweet of you to say"._

_He leaned into her, his forehead touching hers, "Well it's true". She held her breath as she watched him lean into her even more. She knew what was about to happen. But then realization hit her. What was she doing? She turned her cheek at the last second causing him to step back. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't of…." _

"_What am I thinking? I told myself that I would not be one of those girls…". She shrugged off his jacket and tossed it back to him before hurriedly walking away from him. _

"_Hey, wait!" he immediately ran after her. It didn't take much to catch up with her. _

_He grabbed her hand before she could take another step, "Sarah, please, don't leave yet. I'm sorry, I should've asked if it was alright…please don't go"._

"_It's not that, Stefan," she said with a shake of her head, "I just…I shouldn't be doing this with you". _

"_Doing what? I don't understand". _

_She sighed in frustration, "I told myself that I wouldn't be one of those idiotic girls who ended up falling in love with a soldier after one night!". _

"_Sarah-"._

"_I've been to these events more than once and I've seen how girls make fools of themselves over you soldiers. You say a few kind words, make them laugh, make them fall for you and then they give themselves to you soldiers…only to be left heartbroken, and for some, so much as left pregnant. I will not be like those girls, I'm smarter than that. I don't need this. I don't need you". Stefan reached out and pulled her to him, "I know you're smart. You are not like those other girls. You are so much more than them in every way. And whether you chose to believe it or not, I find myself falling for you. I've never felt this way about anyone in my entire existence before. And although I am going off the war, I promise that I will come back to you". _

_She shook her head, tears stinging her eyes, "You say that but I know what will happen, I've seen it more times than I care to share. You go off to war, leaving me to pine and hope that you come back safely, only to hear that you either died in battle or to never hear from you again because you had forgotten all about me". _

"_That will not happen. I could never forget about you. I will come back to you. I guarantee it". _

"_You can't guarantee that, Stefan. No one can. Not unless you're Superman or know how to escape death". _

"_I know it's hard, but you have to believe me. Trust me on this. When I get back I will explain everything to you". _

_She buried her face into his chest and cried softly, "I don't understand how I can love someone I barely know but I can't help it". He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tightly._

"_Hey, Salvatore". _

_Stefan looked up to see a fellow Army buddy leaning out the back doorway. _

"_Sorry to interrupt, but we gotta go". _

_Stefan frowned and checked his watch, "But we still have one hour left". _

_He shrugged, "They want us to leave an hour early, sorry. Say your goodbyes and hurry, the truck's out front". Stefan nodded and his buddy disappeared. _

_He looked down at her, "I guess I have to leave". _

_She nodded and reluctantly let go of him. _

"_Here, I want you to have this," She watched as he reached inside his shirt and pulled out his dog-tag. He pulled it from his neck and handed it to her, "It will be a reminder that I will come back to you. No matter what". _

_She shook her head, "I can't take this, what if something happens?"._

"_Nothing is going to happen to me," he reassured as he folded it in her hand. She nodded and pushed herself up on toes, taking his face in her hands before kissing him softly. Her first kiss. She quickly pulled away, her cheeks reddening immensely. _

_A smile spread across his face, Will you walk me out front?" he asked before he snuck in another kiss. _

_She nodded and took his hand in hers. They walked out front where everyone from the dance was. The girls were all watching as the boys piled into numerous army trucks, all while sneaking in last good-byes. Sarah felt her grip on Stefan's hand tighten. He took a deep breath and slipped his cap back on. _

_He turned to her and kissed her forehead, "I'll see you later, Sarah"._

_She kissed his cheek and nodded. She let go of his hand and watched as he made his way to one of the trucks and watched as hoped into the back of one. She gripped his dog-tag firmly in her hand as hot betraying tears formed in her eyes and silently slid down her cheeks. _

_Once all the trucks had disbursed, she quickly headed for the parking lot before getting in her car and driving off._

_She drove home, doing her best to keep it together. She really didn't want to have a breakdown in the middle of a stoplight. Stefan's dog tag weighed heavy in her lap. She impatiently drummed her fingers against the steering wheel as she waited for the green light. When it finally did come, she stepped on the gas pedal, as she was eager to get home. But she had so distressed that she hadn't seen the lights of the huge semi truck coming straight towards her. _

Sarah Hart's eyes flashed open before she could feel the impact of that truck. She was staring up at a ceiling and she realized that she was back in Bonnie's living room and no longer in her car.

"Thank god," she heard Stefan say with a sigh in relief.

"I'm wet," she said slowly, feeling droplets of water cascading down her face and neck. She looked over and noticed that Bonnie was holding an empty glass.

"Why am I wet?".

Stefan kneeled down in front of her, "We couldn't wake you up. Now, what's your name? What year is it?".

"I'm Sarah Hart and it's 2011". Those unlocked memories had filled her head at such a fast pace that it gave her a splitting headache.

She slowly sat upward, "What _was_ that?".

Stefan shook his head, "You just kept talking, rambling almost…and then you started crying so we tried to wake you up but we couldn't make you come out of it".

"Yeah, water was the only way I could think of snapping you out of it. Sorry" Bonnie said apologetically as she handed her a towel. Stefan took the towel from Bonnie and he began dabbing the water away from Sarah's face.

Sarah pinched the bridge of her nose. "Are you okay?" Stefan asked, his hand reaching out to tuck a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

She nodded, "Just really tired". Stefan nodded and stood up, "There's a motel just outside of town, we can stay there for the night". Bonnie looked at him disbelievingly.

"What? It's not like I can take her to the boarding house, not with Damon there".

Bonnie sighed, "You two can stay here for the night".

Stefan raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Really?".

Bonnie nodded, "It's just me here. You guys can sleep in the guest rooms".

"That's really kind of you, thank you" Sarah said as she stood up from the couch.

Bonnie turned around and led them upstairs, "I have school tomorrow so once it's done with we can get back to work. My Dad's out of town so you won't have to worry about him stopping by". She pointed to two rooms next to each other, "Just pick one".

"Thanks again, Bonnie" Stefan said.

She nodded, "But don't think that you can just barge in and ask for my help anytime you want. This is the last time I help you". Stefan nodded.

Bonnie looked to Sarah, "Do you have pajamas?". Sarah shook her head. Bonnie took her hand and lead her into her bedroom, "C'mon, I probably have something you can wear".

Sarah looked around Bonnie's room as she fished through her drawers for something for her to wear.

"Here we go," she said after a few minutes of searching. Bonnie handed her a t-shirt that read _Mystic Falls High School Athletic Dept. _and some shorts.

"Thanks," Sarah said as she took the clothes. She turned around to leave but Bonnie stopped her.

"Here," Bonnie snatched something off her drawer and Sarah realized that it was a bracelet, "It's laced with vervain" Bonnie explained.

Sarah shook her head, "If you think Stefan's going to compel me you don't have to worry about-". Stefan had told her on the ride over here about vervain. Bonnie shook her head, "You are in a town that is crawling with vampires. You really want to take the chance of not having something to protect you?". Bonnie slipped the bracelet on her wrist.

"Thank you, Bonnie".

Bonnie and Sarah both turned around to see Stefan in the doorway.

Bonnie nodded, "Last thing we need is another Caroline incident".

"I was going to ask you to make one, thank you" Stefan said with a nod. Sarah's gaze drifted over to a picture on Bonnie's drawer. Without realizing it, she walked closer to it to get a better look. She took the picture frame in her hands and gasped.

Stefan walked over to her and looked over her shoulder at the picture she was holding. It was one of Bonnie, Elena, and Caroline. "What's wrong?".

Sarah swallowed hard and pointed to Elena's picture, "She's the one..".

Stefan frowned, "She's the one, what?".

"She's the one that killed me in my dream".

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><p><strong>AN: Dun, dun, DUN! lol If you have any questions, I'm pretty sure whatever they may be, they'll probably be answered within the next couple of chapters. <strong>

**So...last time I checked Elena wasn't a vampire. But who then could've possibly been in Sarah's dream that looks exactly like Elena and is a vampire? Hmmm...And what is she doing in Sarah's dream? Want to find out? Well you'll just to wait and see! (And review if you want to sweeten the deal.) lol**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Hope everyone had an awesome Christmas! Big thanks to those who reviewed! This chapter is more fluff than anything but I'll get back to the more interesting stuff in the next chapter, promise! So, read. enjoy. review! (please).**

* * *

><p>"<em>She's the one that killed me in my dream". <em>

Bonnie looked at Sarah with wide eyes, "What?".

Sarah's description of the vampire in her dreams echoed through Stefan's brain, _"She was very beautiful. Brown eyes, dark curly hair, tannish skin color…she had this malicious smirk on her face though". _So he had been right.

"Elena killed you in one of your dreams?" Bonnie said in disbelief.

"This is Elena?" Sarah asked, her gaze drifting back to the picture momentarily before finding it's way back to Stefan, "As in your ex-girlfriend, Elena?".

Stefan nodded, "But Elena wasn't the one who killed you in dream, Sarah".

Both Bonnie and Sarah frowned at this before Stefan uttered one word. "Katherine".

Bonnie's expression changed and she couldn't help but repeat the name, "Katherine. Why am I not surprised?".

Sarah looked at them both, "You mean _Katherine Pierce_?".

They both looked at her in surprise. "You know _Katherine_?".

"Not in this life. Back when I was going down memory lane, I mentioned her name while talking to Stefan".

"Back in 1864?".

She nodded, "Yeah, at least I think so. I'm not sure, but the outfits definitely looked _Gone with the Wind_-ish. Wait, Katherine and Elena look exactly alike? But how is that-".

"I take it you haven't gotten around to telling her your entire story, Stefan".

"Not exactly, Bonnie".

"Okay, well I guess it's story time because I am not going to bed until you tell me _everything" _Sarah as while she folded her arms.

Stefan shook his head, "Sarah, it's late, you said it yourself that you were tired".

"I can hold off on sleep for a little while longer Stefan".

Stefan sighed in defeat, "Okay".

"As much I would love hearing Stefan's life story _again_, I on the other hand cannot hold off anymore sleep time, so if you don't mind…" Bonnie began shooing them out of her bedroom, "some of us actually have to go to school in the morning so goodnight, you can take up this conversation up somewhere else".

"Goodnight, Bonnie" Sarah and Stefan said simultaneously before Bonnie slammed the door in their faces.

Sarah walked down the hallway with Stefan on her heels as they headed into the guest room where she was sleeping. "Start talking," she demanded once they walked into her room.

Stefan gently closed the door behind him and sighed, "I wouldn't even know where to begin".

"Well while you figure that out, I'll be in the bathroom changing" Sarah said, indicating the clothes in her arms before heading over to the bathroom. Stefan sat down on the edge of her bed and did his best to ignore the fact that Sarah was undressing in the next room. Thankfully he didn't have to suffer long, as she came out of the bathroom rather quickly.

"Okay, go on" she encouraged as she dropped off clothes on her table before sitting down on the bed Indian-style. And so Stefan told Sarah everything. **(AN: And when I say 'everything', I mean basically everything that's happened in the show so far. I wasn't about to spend time recapping everything since we all know this, right? And if not, there's always a special VD Wikipedia!)**

"Wow" was all she could say when he finally finished. Stefan nodded in agreement before standing up and stretching out his back.

She chuckled softly, "You sure have led one interesting life. I wish I could say the same".

"Believe me, I would much rather take 'boring' over 'interesting' any day. Then maybe not as many people would be dead because of me".

She looked at him apologetically, "I'm sorry".

He shrugged, "It's okay. What's done is done". He glanced over at the small alarm clock on the nightstand and then back at her, "I should really get back to my room so you can sleep. It's been a long day".

She yawned slightly, "You can say that again".

"I'll see you in the morning," Stefan said, his hand on the doorknob of her door.

"Goodnight, Stefan".

"Goodnight, Sarah". Stefan shut off the light switch before he closed the door behind him and headed towards his room.

That morning, before Bonnie headed off to school, she decided to make sure Stefan and Sarah were alright, namely she wanted to see if Sarah was still alive. Despite the fact that Stefan had acted like his normal self, she knew better than to believe that his ripper persona was completely gone and thusly she didn't trust him, especially alone with a human who may or may not be his soulmate. But whatever the case, Stefan was still a vampire. And the only thing vampires wanted was blood. Bonnie opened the guest room in which Sarah was sleeping in first before going to check on Stefan. She quietly opened the door and peeked inside. She was more than surprised when she saw that there wasn't just Sarah sleeping in there, but Stefan as well. Sarah's head was resting on Stefan's chest while he had one of his arm's wrapped protectively around her. At least Sarah was under the covers while Stefan was sleeping on top of the blankets, so that ruled out the possibility that any hanky-panky had gone down. Bonnie lingered in the doorway for a moment and sighed. As much as she hated to admit it, they had to be the cutest non-couple but possible soulmates she'd ever seen, even if they were just sleeping. When she realized that she was close to being late to school, she quietly closed the door and hurriedly tiptoed downstairs.

Stefan woke up to the feeling of something warm pressing against his body. He allowed his eyes to flutter open, instantly regretting it when a burst of sunlight coming from the window struck him. He looked around, taking a moment to gather up his bearings when he realized that he wasn't in the room he had initially fallen asleep in. He felt a weight on his chest which caused him to look down. His eyes widened in surprise when he realized that it was Sarah. She was sound asleep, clinging to his body, the front of his shirt bunched up in her small fist, and her cheek was pressed up against his chest with her hair a little disheveled. He shifted slightly but was careful not to wake her. He scratched his head as he wondered how he had gotten here in the first place. He didn't even remember leaving his room after they had said goodnight.

He felt her shift in his arms suddenly and he worried that he had woken her up. He looked down at her, watching her intently as her eyes began to flutter open. She let out a long sigh and his heart skipped a beat as she wrapped her arm around him, squeezing him softly. Her gaze drifted upward and their eyes met.

"Morning," he said quietly before brushing a strand of hair out her face.

"Morning," she replied sleepily, her eyes fluttering closed for a moment.

"Does your head still hurt?" he asked, his hand caressing her back in soothing circles.

She nodded, "A little bit. But despite that, this has probably been the best night's sleep I've had in like… forever".

"No nightmares?". She shook her head.

He smiled, "I'm glad to hear that".

She looked up at him and smiled, "How did _you_ sleep?".

"Surprisingly very well," he chuckled, "Maybe we should sleep together more often".

When he realized how that might of sounded, he quickly tried to retract it, "I mean…".

Sarah just smiled at him and rested her chin back on his chest, "I know what you meant Stefan". "Thank God," he chuckled. She sighed and buried her face into his chest. But suddenly it was as if her brain had finally turned on because she then realized the position they were in.

"Something wrong?" Stefan asked her when he noticed she had stilled.

She quickly shimmied away from him, as if touching him burned her. "Wait, when did you get here? I thought you were sleeping in your own room!".

Stefan quickly sat up, "I thought so too, but when I woke up I found myself here. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to just barge in her and sleep here". She found herself less upset with the fact that he had slept here and more upset with how she had just acted with him just now. She had a boyfriend and last time she checked, it wasn't Stefan!

"How about we go downstairs and eat breakfast?" Stefan said quickly, eager to change the subject as he hoped off the bed.

"Just let me change, I'll be right there" she said softly, moving off the bed as well and taking her bag into the bathroom. As soon as she closed the bathroom door behind her, Stefan headed downstairs and walked into Bonnie's kitchen, immediately going to the refrigerator in search of something he could make Sarah for breakfast.

Sarah quickly headed downstairs and walked into Bonnie's kitchen. She stopped upon entering the kitchen, surprised at what she saw. Stefan was hard at work making what smelled like pancakes and bacon. He looked as though he had been hard at work for an hour at least, even though she was sure she hadn't taken more than ten minutes in getting dressed. _He's a vampire, remember?, s_he quickly thought to herself as she walked over to the counter.

"Hey you," she greeted as she took a seat at the counter.

"Hey, your breakfast is almost done" he said as he flipped a pancake onto a plate.

"You know, I would've settled for some cereal. You really didn't have to go through all this trouble" she said.

He shrugged and slipped some eggs on a clean plate, "It was no trouble".

She sighed, "Can I at least help you with something?" she asked.

He shook his head and pushed a plate full of food towards her, "Nope. I'm all done".

"Thank you, but since you cooked, I'm doing the dishes".

Stefan chuckled and shook his head again, "I'll be done before you finish your breakfast".

She sighed, "Fine".

As Stefan worked on the dishes, he kept glancing over at Sarah every so often as if to reassure himself that she was still there. "You know, for a vampire, you really do know how to cook" Sarah said as she cut into another pancake.

Stefan smiled and looked over his shoulder, "Why the tone of surprise?". She merely shook her head and went back to her food.

"Well, I'm done," Stefan announced, throwing his dish towel on the counter before pouring himself a glass of orange juice. He gulped the juice down and realized that what he was thirsty for wasn't juice. He put the glass down and his jaw clenched.

"What's wrong?" Sarah asked him.

"Do you mind if I leave for a bit? I haven't hunted in a while…". When she realized what he meant, her stomach went a little uneasy. "I'll be faster if I just settle for animal blood, so I'll just take a quick trip to the woods. Is that okay?" he asked as he walked around the counter.

Sarah nodded, "Go ahead, take your time, I'll be fine".

Stefan shook his head, "No, I don't want to leave you for too long. I won't take long. If anyone knocks on the door though, don't answer it, okay?".

She couldn't help but roll her eyes, "Yes, _father_". He playfully glared at her. She got out of her seat and began shooing him away, "Now go eat…err…drink".

He gave her a smile before disappearing out of sight.

After Sarah finished eating, she decided to sit down in Bonnie's living room and play Scrabble on her phone as she waited for Stefan to return. It was pretty hard for her to concentrate though, seeing as how she kept on imaging Stefan chowing down on Bambi. She was so enamored in her game that when she heard someone say, "Boo!", she nearly jumped three feet in air. She quickly looked to see Stefan standing in front of her, a bemused expression on his face.

"Miss me?".

She glared at him, "So not funny".

He chuckled, "Well from where I was standing, it was pretty humorous. I didn't think people could jump so high out of their seats like that. I've only seen that in cartoons".

She slightly rolled her eyes, "Ha. Ha".

Stefan's expression turned serious again, "Hey, so nothing happened while I was gone, right?".

She sighed, "Actually, something did happen, someone came into the house…". She tried her best not to smile at Stefan's horrified expression.

"What? A-are you okay?".

"Yeah, totally got attacked by a dragon a little while ago. And then I found a mermaid in the bathtub, she was cool, oh and then there was this leprechaun in the garden…".

He glared at her, "You're mocking me".

"Me? Mock you? Why on earth would I do such a thing?" she said innocently.

"Hate to break it to you but you really aren't funny".

"That's funny, people say I'm hilarious". He just smiled and shook his head, "But seriously, did anything happen?".

She slightly rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Nope. Nothing happened Mr. Worrywart" she teased as she slipped her phone back into her pocket.

He glanced over at the clock on the wall and then looked back at Sarah, "So what should we do now? We still got awhile until Bonnie gets home".

She shrugged, "I don't know, what do you suggest?".

Stefan thought about it for a moment before saying, "Want to go for a walk in the woods?".

She smiled and nodded, "Okay. Just let me go get my camera". Stefan waited at the foot of the stairs while she grabbed her camera from upstairs.

Stefan figured it would be alright if they took a walk in the woods, seeing as how it would be unlikely if they ran into anyone he knew there. Everyone would be at school except for Damon and…well seeing as how he didn't prey on animals, he didn't have any reason to be out in the woods. As they walked through the forest, Stefan realized that they were near the land in which his home was built on. He figured that while they were there that he would show her the ruins.

"So this is where you grew up" Sarah said, her gaze drifting around the area. It was hard to believe that the very ground she was standing on used to be the same property in which the Salvatore Estate from her memory used to stand. Stefan nodded, noticing out of the corner of his eye, a rose bush nearby. He automatically walked over to it as Sarah took a picture of some of the ruins. He plucked a rose and made his way back over to her, "Here. Your favorite" he said to her once he was beside her again. She looked at it and smiled. It was a single fresh, glistening, dewy, white rosebud. But before she took it from him, she brought her camera up to her face and snapped a picture of him holding it.

"Thank you," she said kindly before taking it from him, a small blush appearing on her cheeks. He smiled weakly at that and cleared his throat, "So….um what exactly did you see while you were under the hypnosis?" Stefan asked, "We haven't really discussed it seeing as how we've been talking about my-oh so interesting life" he said with a chuckle.

"Well they kind of played out like scenes in a movie. The first one, like you had said, took place in 1864 and it was when I met you for the first time. Your father had invited my family to the Founder's Ball" she looked over at him, a small part of her hoping that this would jog his memory.

"Anyways, the next one was of you and me and I think we were in your family's gardens. I was talking about how I had a conversation with Katherine-".

He frowned, "About what?".

"Basically I had told you that she had said for me to stay away from you, seeing as how she loved you". Stefan's jaw clenched at this.

"And basically you told me that I had nothing to worry about because I was the one you loved and that Katherine didn't mean a thing to you,". She said this rather quickly, seeing as how she could feel her cheeks quickly flaming up.

"What else did you remember?" Stefan asked, his curiosity growing.

While they talked, he led her away from the ruins.

"The next memory took place in the '20's. You should of seen me Stefan, I looked just like a flapper," she said with a chuckle, "But anyways I was outside in the parking lot of this speakeasy and well I came across you and…" she drifted off, debating on whether or not she should tell him what happened next. He noticed her solemn expression and urged her to continue, "Go ahead, tell me".

She sighed, "Well, you were trying to sweet talk me and then you compelled me before you killed me".

"That's why you were screaming," he said quietly, remembering how she had been screaming while under the hypnosis and he had tried to wake her.

She fiddled with her camera uncomfortably, "Yeah, it wasn't exactly pleasant to watch…".

"What else?" Stefan whispered, unsure if he wanted to hear more or not.

She smiled weakly and decided to sit down under a Weeping Willow tree, "You'll be pleased to know that the next memory is a lot brighter. It took place in the '40's during World War II".

He couldn't help but chuckle, "You consider that 'brighter'?".

Sarah shook her head, "Not about that. I mean that you didn't kill me in that life. Although it was pretty sad towards the end. Anyways, I was at this USO dance hall taking pictures for the local paper-".

"Even in a past life, you were a photographer" Stefan pointed out with a smile.

She nodded, "And you were a soldier, and just let me say that you looked incredibly handsome in your uniform, and basically you and I started to fall for one another".

"Then why did you say that it was sad towards the end?" he questioned.

"Well after you had to leave, I got in my car to leave and as I was driving…there was this truck coming towards me…only I didn't see it and, let's just say I don't think I made it out alive". Stefan ran a hand through his hair and sighed, "I'm so sorry".

She looked at him and frowned, "For what?". "For killing you….and putting you through all this". He knew it would've been better if he had just left her alone. But he, being the selfish idiot that he was, didn't do that.

"It's not your fault," Sarah said with a shake of her head.

Stefan scoffed, "Really? Because from what you told me, they just sounded like forgotten bad memories that _I_ forced you to relive. You would've been better off not remembering any of it". "You didn't force me into doing anything. This is what I wanted, Stefan. I knew that going into this I would probably see things that I wouldn't like, but it's a lot better remembering my past than not remembering a darn thing. If I had a past with you, of course I would want to remember it. How could I not want to?".

Stefan punched a nearby tree, the force of it causing her to jump slightly. He looked back at her and sighed, "Sorry. It's just…".

"Just what?".

"It's frustrating! I don't understand why I can't remember you. I should be able to, I mean, I'm a fucking vampire for Christ's sake, I should be able to remember all this". He remembered going to speakeasies many times and always killing girls out in the parking lots, but he wouldn't for sure recognized Sarah's face if she had been one of the girls. He remembered going to that USO dance Sarah spoke of in '43 but he didn't remember meeting her there and he sure as hell didn't remember falling in love with her. And that killed him.

Sarah, seeing how much this upset him, quickly set out to change the subject, "Look as soon as Bonnie gets back from school, we're going to do nothing but talk about this. Let's use this time to talk about other stuff". She beckoned him over to sit down next to her. He sighed before reluctantly walking over to her and sitting down beside her. "It's really beautiful here," she commented, referring to the early morning sun that shone brightly through the trees, illuminating patches of the grass. She looked over to Stefan who still harboring a hurt and solemn expression on his face. Sarah was beginning to wish that she hadn't of told him about her memories. It just broke her heart seeing him hurting.

She lightly nudged him, "C'mon Stefan, if you keep that up you'll get frown lines," she said with a chuckle. His expression was unyielding.

She sighed, "Would you please give me a small smile? I hate seeing you so upset". He merely looked away from her. She frowned and pulled up a bunch of grass from the ground before throwing it at him.

He quickly whipped his head around, his eyes narrowing, "Did you just… _throw grass at me_?". She bit her lip to control her laughter that threatened to ensue before nodding.

He playfully glared at her, "Oh now you're going to get it".

She shook her head, slowly reaching behind her back before throwing more blades of grass at him.

Stefan smiled wickedly, "Sarah Hart, I do believe that you are just asking for me to get you". She quickly pushed herself off the grass just as Stefan lunged for her.

"You know for a vampire you're awfully slow" she teased once she was out of arm's reach.

Stefan stood up and merely shook his head, "You really shouldn't underestimate a vampire". Sarah stuck her tongue out of him before turning on her heel to break into a run. But as she did so, she collided with something hard. When she realized that it was Stefan, she screamed and immediately tried to run in the opposite direction. Unfortunately for her, Stefan was far too quick, and almost immediately grabbed her in his arms before lifting her over his shoulder.

"Stefan, put me down!" Sarah said through laughter, her fists lightly beating against his back.

Stefan just shook his head, "Nu-uh".

"Please?" he heard her beg.

He shook his head and then a thought occurred to him, "Hey, Sarah?".

"_Yes?" _she asked warily.

He looked over his shoulder, "You wouldn't happen to be ticklish, would you?" he asked.

Sarah's eyes widened, "Oh no…".

Stefan grinned, "Oh yes".

He quickly put her down and started tickling her sides. She immediately started squirming like a wiggle worm in his grasp. With all her might, she tried to pry herself out of Stefan's grip, "Please Stefan, stop!".

"Where is your weak spot? Is it your stomach or your sides?" he taunted.

"No! No!" she cried out.

After a few minutes of torture, Stefan decided to give her mercy by releasing his hold on her.

She lightly smacked his chest before moving away from him, "Jerk". He merely laughed. She sat back down under the willow tree and folded her arms across her chest.

He walked over to her before plopping himself on the grass next to her, "Oh, I get it. So you're mad at me now, hmm?". She titled her head up and snidely looked away from him.

He chuckled and rolled onto his back, "You better leave the pouting to me, you're too adorable to make it believable".

She looked over at him and started to giggle. "What?" he asked, as he propped himself onto his elbows.

She merely shook her head at the sight of him with blades of grass sticking up in his hair in all directions.

"What are you giggling about?" he asked again.

She beckoned him with her finger and he obediently sat up and scooted a little closer. He arched his eyebrow, "You making fun of me or something?".

She moved and sat down on his lap, "Here let me". She ran her fingers through his hair before individually picking the blades off grass out of his hair. When he realized what she was doing, he laughed sheepishly, "Oh".

He looked up at her and smiled. The sunlight illuminated her golden hair beautifully, giving her the appearance that she glowed. _Like an angel, he thought. _She smiled back at him, noticing his staring, "What?".

He sighed, "In the light like this, you look like an angel". He could see the faintest of blushes appear on her cheeks. He noticed that she did this a lot when they were around one another.

"There," she said in a satisfactory tone, "Now you're free of grass". He ran a hand through his hair, pleased to find that there wasn't an ounce of grass. He moved his hands so that they rested on her hips.

"Now what?" she asked him.

He shrugged before lifting his hand up to her face and gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I want you to know…". She shivered as his fingers gently slid down her cheek, his thumb brushing across her bottom lip. He listened at her sharp intake of breath as he stared into her gorgeous eyes, "I want you to know that you don't have to worry. In this life, I would _never_ hurt you".

She smiled weakly and nodded, "I know that".

His gaze had drifted down so that he no longer stared at her eyes, but instead at her mouth. Her lips looked so incredibly appetizing to him that he couldn't help but want to kiss her, just to see if she tasted as good as he imagined her to be. She was so close, all he had to do was lean in and he was sure their lips would meet. He leaned into her, his heart now threatening to beat out of his chest, but he suddenly felt two hand press up against his chest, pushing him away. "Stefan…don't". He sighed in frustration and the next thing he felt was Sarah moving out of his arms. He pushed himself off the grass and looked over at Sarah, who had her hand to her forehead and was shaking her head repeatedly.

_Stupid, stupid, Sarah! Are you insane? Obviously!, _she scolded herself. How the hell could she of almost allowed Stefan to kiss her? She had a boyfriend! How many times did she have to remind herself of that? Ever since she first started dating, she always told herself that she would never ever be a cheater. She made a promise to herself that she would never cheat on her boyfriend. And yet, here she was! Had not stopped him at the last second, she probably would've making out with him about right now. She knew it was wrong of her but every time his fingers touch her cheek, or their eyes met, or when they breathe in the same air. It was like gravity shifted and everything fell into place. She knew shouldn't be feeling this way about Stefan, not when she had an adoring boyfriend on the road. _A boyfriend who hasn't even contacted you since he left, a small voice told her. _But still, she loved John!

She looked up to see Stefan moving closer to her, an apologetic expression on his face. "Sarah please forgive me. I had no right to try and kiss you".

"We're both to blame," she said quietly, "It was just as much my fault. It wasn't like I discouraged you," she groaned softly, "I should've never…I have a boyfriend, Stefan. And he isn't you".

Stefan nodded, "I know. I'm sorry".

She swallowed hard and shook her head, "I will not cheat on John with you or anybody for that matter".

"I don't expect you to".

"I'm sorry Stefan, but I can't".

He admired her loyalty, that was true, but then there was a small part of him, the part that wanted nothing more than to call her his own, that was absolutely irritated by it. He wants to be able to hold her, kiss her, shower her with every display of affection possible, but he knows that's not going to happen anytime soon.

He nodded, "Yeah…we should probably head back to Bonnie's, she'll be home at any minute".

She nodded in agreement and picked her camera off the floor. They walked back to Bonnie's house in silence.

"Are you mad at me?" Sarah asked him once they walked into Bonnie's backyard.

He shook his head, "I'm more upset with myself than anyone else. I don't know what I was thinking back there. Again, I'm sorry".

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry I cut it off there, I was getting writer's cramp. I'll update as soon as I can though!<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Once again, thanks to all who reviewed! Here's another chapter! So Read. Enjoy. Review! **

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><p>Stefan and Sarah walked into Bonnie's living room after using the back door. Just as they entered the room, Bonnie came from the doorway, looking quite out of breath.<p>

Stefan looked over at her and frowned, "What's wrong Bonnie?"

Bonnie shook her head, "Elena and Caroline just dropped me off. They wanted to hang out but I had to make up some stupid excuse and shoo them away. They almost wouldn't leave!".

"Well thank god that they did," Stefan replied.

Bonnie nodded in agreement and threw her bag onto the coffee table, "So what did you guys do while I was gone?". Stefan and Sarah looked at each other briefly.

"We ate breakfast then went for a walk in the woods" Sarah replied as she took a seat on the couch. Stefan leaned against one of the walls on the opposite side of the room.

"Did something happen?" Bonnie asked, looking between them both.

Stefan looked to Sarah before shaking his head, "No, why do you ask that?".

Bonnie shrugged, "I don't know. I'm just getting this vibe between you two. Very…tense".

Stefan scratched the back of his neck and just shook his head again, "Can't imagine why".

Bonnie brushed the thought aside, "Probably just imagining things. Okay, let's go back to where we left off last night". Stefan and Sarah both nodded in agreement.

"So, Katherine was in your dream, did she say or do anything, besides kill you?" Bonnie asked, her gaze on Sarah.

Sarah nodded, "She said one thing before she killed me and that was, _Maybe this time you'll learn not to come back_".

Bonnie mentally processed and analyzed that for a few minutes before looking to Stefan, "You think Katherine knows about Sarah being reincarnated?".

Stefan straightened up, "It definitely sounds as if Katherine knows something. And Sarah, you said that in one of your memories, Katherine had told you to stay away from me". Sarah nodded.

"If only we could interrogate Katherine," Bonnie whispered, "You wouldn't happen to know where she went?" she asked Stefan.

Stefan shook his head, "All I know is that she wanted to get as far from Mystic Falls as possible. But I think that-".

The front door suddenly opened and a voice could be heard from the doorway, "Hey Bonnie you left your phone in the car". Bonnie quickly ran over to the doorway, mumbling an "Oh shit", only to collide with Elena.

"Woah, Bonnie! What are you…" Elena drifted off when she saw Stefan. "Stefan?".

Stefan sighed, "Hello Elena".

Elena looked at Bonnie and then back at Stefan, and then noticed Sarah. "What's going on?" she demanded, her gaze landing on Bonnie.

Bonnie shrugged and snatched her phone out of Elena's hand, "I don't know but thanks for dropping this off, so you can just…". "Bonnie!".

Bonnie looked at her apologetically, "I'm so sorry Elena, I wanted to tell you but it was for your own good-".

"Is this why you were acting weird all day?".

"Yeah…I guess so" she mumbled.

"Elena? How long does it take for you to drop off Bonnie's phone?". The front door opened for a second time, this time it was Caroline. Caroline let out an exasperated sigh, "Come on, Elena. You take for-" she noticed Stefan and then Sarah, "Oh". Elena folded her arms across her chest and nodded, "Yeah, oh".

"Stefan what are you doing here and with Bonnie?" Caroline asked. Her eyes widened, "You two aren't…".

Bonnie stared at Caroline incredulously, "God no, Caroline! Please, I would not date Elena's ex. That's your territory".

Caroline scoffed, "Oh that's right, you just date her baby brother".

"Guys!" Elena exclaimed, shutting up both Caroline and Bonnie, "Now is really not the time for this!".

Elena looked away from her friends and stared at Stefan, "Why are you here Stefan?".

"Not that it's any of your business, Elena, but I merely stopped by to say hello to Bonnie" Stefan explained, his arms folding across his chest. Bonnie rolled her eyes at Stefan's lame attempt at lying. It was like he wasn't even trying. It wasn't just apparent to her.

"That's a lie if I've ever heard one," Caroline muttered, her eyes on Stefan, "Surely you could've thought of something better?".

"Look, I don't have to tell you why I am here. It's not of your business. So if you don't mind," Stefan gestured to the door, "This really doesn't concern you".

"Stefan don't be an ass" Sarah said under her breath so that only Stefan, (and Caroline), could hear.

"Who are you again?" Caroline asked Sarah, her eyes narrowing.

"This is Sarah, she's a friend of mine. Sarah, this is Caroline and Elena". Stefan explained.

Sarah politely said hello.

"What is she your mid-afternoon snack?" Caroline spat.

"Hardly," Stefan muttered.

Elena sighed, "Look Stefan, you might as well tell us why you're here. Bonnie will just tell us anyways". Stefan looked to Bonnie who purposely avoided his gaze. He sighed in frustration and glanced over at Elena, "Have Bonnie explain it all to you, frankly I'm tired of repeating it". He pushed himself of the wall he was leaning against and headed back upstairs. Sarah, without even thinking, followed him upstairs.

Caroline watched them go before whipping her head back around towards Bonnie, "Is she Stefan's new girlfriend or what?".

Bonnie shook her head and sighed, her gaze landing on Elena, "I don't think you'll like what I'm about to tell you".

Elena shrugged, "If it's more bad news, I can take it. I've been receiving bad news for almost two years now. I'm an expert at handling it. Just give it to me straight. What's going on?".

"Knock, knock". Stefan looked up to see Sarah in his doorway. A small smile was automatically brought to his face just at the sight of her. He could see the hesitance in her eyes as she walked over to him. "You okay?" she asked him.

"I've definitely had better days" he said with a bitter chuckle. "Sorry if I was acting like a _jerk face _again," he said to her as she sat down beside him on the bed.

"It isn't me you should be apologizing to" she said quietly.

He nodded in agreement and sighed, "I just didn't want anymore people to get involved with this".

"Why not? Maybe Caroline and Elena could help" Sarah suggested.

Stefan shook his head, "The people I surround myself with always get hurt, remember?".

"And yet here I am," she whispered, "You haven't hurt me".

"Not yet anyways" he muttered. She wanted to give him a reassuring hug, but after what happened in the woods, she decided that maybe it wouldn't be such a good idea. "You should call your parents," he said after a moment of silence, "Let them know that you're at least alive". She nodded in agreement and pulled her phone out of her pocket. "I can only imagine how badly freaked they are," she whispered as she pressed her house's number. She reluctantly pressed the phone to her ear, anxiously awaiting for someone to answer. _Please don't ring, please don't ring, let it get the machine…._

"_Sarah?". _

_Damn you, caller I.D! _"Yeah, mom" she croaked, "It's me".

"_Sarah where are you? Your father and I have been worried sick!"._

"I'm fine, mom. I'm not in any danger".

"_Where are you?_" her mother pressed.

"I'm…I'm…I'm with…John". She figured it would be better to say that she was with John, rather than Stefan, seeing as how her parents didn't even know who Stefan was.

"_John?". _

"Yeah…" Sarah answered as she bit her lip, "I left to v-visit him at his new home".

"_And where is that_?".

"V-Virginia" she said quietly.

"_Virginia?"._

She knew by the tone of her mother's voice that when she eventually came home, her mother was probably going to murder her. Stefan squeezed her hand reassuringly and she kept their hands intertwined while she kept on the phone. "_Why haven't you called or at least left a note? We thought you were kidnapped, we had the entire town looking for you!". _

"I'm sorry, mom. It was unexpected. I didn't-".

"_You tell John to bring you back home this instant!_".

Sarah shook her head, "I can't….because….um…well his car broke down and it's going to take a few days to get it repaired". _Very good lie, she thought to herself._

"_Well then your father and I will come and get you! Where are you exactly?". _

"Mom, please, John will take me back as soon as his car is fixed, I promise!".

"_You can't expect us to leave you alone with a fugitive, can you?". _

Sarah rolled her eyes, "Mom, he's not a fugitive!".

"_Where are you, Sarah, we're coming to get you!". _

"I swear I will be back home in a few days, I promise!". And with that she hung up on her mother. Now she really wasn't looking forward to coming back home, not with the hell she was going to have to deal with….

Stefan watched as she put her phone away, "Don't worry, I'll take you home as soon as possible".

"We should probably head back downstairs" Sarah said as she pushed herself off the bed. Stefan did the same but stopped for a moment.

Sarah looked back at him, "Something wrong?".

"Stay here," he ordered before heading downstairs.

"Wow," Caroline and Elena both said once Bonnie finished telling them everything. Bonnie chuckled and nodded, "That's exactly what I said when they told me". Bonnie leaned back into her seat, "It's a lot to take in, I know," she glanced over to Elena, "Are you okay?".

Elena smiled weakly, "I'm fine. Stefan and I…well I've let him go. There will always be a part of me that still loves him but the best thing for both of us is to move on". Bonnie nodded and squeezed her hand reassuringly. Just then there came a knock on the door.

Bonnie frowned, "Who could that be?".

Caroline sighed, "It's just Damon. Don't let him in, Bonnie".

"I heard that!" Damon's voice came loudly from the other side of the front door. Bonnie sighed in frustration and reluctantly got out of her seat to open the door. And just as Caroline had said, Damon was there, standing on the opposite side of the threshold.

"What do you want Damon?" Bonnie asked, annoyance clear in her tone of voice.

Damon smirked, "Well hello to you little miss sunshine".

"Why are you here?" Bonnie pressed, her grip firm on door, as she was ready to slam the door in his face at any given time.

Damon eyed her warily, "Something's going on and I want to know what".

Bonnie rolled her eyes, "Nothing's going on Damon. You think that because you're not at the center of attention for five minutes, something's up".

Damon snorted, "Puh-lease, Bonnie. I'm not an idiot, something's up, it's written all over your face". Bonnie remained silent. "Maybe Elena or Caroline would care to fill me in.".

"Go away, Damon" Bonnie said through gritted teeth.

"You three are scheming. Is it another Klaus plan, cause if so you might as well forget about it".

"Goodbye Damon," Bonnie said as she closed the door but Damon stopped her.

"Stefan's here, isn't he?".

Bonnie tried to mask her surprise, "How did you know that?".

"Well…there's a strange car parked out front. It's obvious you are hiding something, or should I say _someone_. And I could hear his name mentioned as Caroline and Elena were talking _quietly_," he said that part loud enough so that Caroline and Elena could hear.

"What do you want, Damon?". Bonnie turned around to see Stefan behind her.

Damon folded his arms across his chest, "Well well well, baby bro. Long time no see".

Stefan looked to Bonnie, "I got this".

"Can I come inside now?" Damon asked, annoyance in his voice as he looked to Bonnie.

Bonnie scoffed, "When hell freezes over". The two brothers watched as she walked away before Stefan stepped outside, closing the door behind him.

Without saying anything first, Damon wound his fist back and slammed it forward, letting it collide with Stefan's jaw. The mere force of it sent Stefan staggering backward. Stefan quickly recomposed himself and moved his jaw back and forth, "Guess I deserved that".

"Serves you right. You ruined everything! I had Klaus, Stefan! I had him! All of us were going to be free of him, _for good_! And then you went and fucked up everything" Damon spat, his blue eyes ablaze with anger.

"It was for you own good" Stefan replied just as Damon was about to continue on his rant.

"What the hell are you talking about?".

"If anything happened to Klaus, his hybrids had been compelled to take you down with him. If I hadn't stopped you, you wouldn't of made it out of there alive".

"You ruined our plan ….just to save me?". His anger had died down and was more or less replaced with surprise.

Stefan nodded, "Yes. Bet you wish you could take back that punch right about now, huh?".

Damon pondered it for a moment before shaking his head, "No not really". Stefan just shook his head.

Damon eyed him suspiciously, "So what brings you back to ol' Mystic Falls?".

"Nothing that concerns you, so you can just head back home".

Damon snorted, "Let me guess. Now that you've got your freedom, you've come back for Elena. Is that it?".

Stefan shook his head, "You couldn't be more far off, brother".

Damon raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Really".

Stefan nodded, "You can let out that sigh of relief anytime you'd like".

Damon rolled his eyes, "Whatever, Stefan". Damon turned his back on Stefan and headed down the porch. He stopped momentarily and turned back around, "Don't think that I won't find out why you're here".

Stefan brushed him off and headed back inside, "Goodbye Damon".

Stefan headed back into the living room to find Sarah, Caroline, Bonnie, and Elena talking amongst themselves. That all stopped though when he entered the room.

"Don't stop on my account" he said, his hands behind his back.

"You probably wouldn't like it if we did, we were talking about you" Bonnie said with a chuckle.

He frowned, "Oh. Lovely". The girls chuckled.

Bonnie stood up, "How about we go to the Grill? I'm starving".

"That sounds good" Elena agreed, standing up as well.

Caroline nodded and headed for the door, "Okay, I just hope we don't run into Tyler. The last thing I want is another awkward run in".

"You two want to come?" Elena asked, her gaze on Stefan and Sarah. Sarah looked up at Stefan expectantly.

Stefan sighed, "I guess it would be alright".

Everyone headed out the door but at the last minute, Sarah held Stefan back for a moment. "What's wrong?" he asked her, a look on concern on his face.

"Did someone hit you?" Sarah asked him, her hand cupping her cheek and wincing slightly.

He frowned, "What-". He then noticed that her right cheek was ever so slightly red.

"_You felt that?"_ he asked incredulously.

She smiled weakly and nodded, "Unfortunately".

"That is so strange," he murmured, his fingers brushing against her cheek ever so softly.

"Are you guys coming or what?" Caroline called from outside. Stefan and Sarah quickly recomposed themselves and headed out the door.

They all had piled into the Mystic Grill within ten minutes and were now at a table. Bonnie, Elena, and Caroline were piled on one side of the booth while Stefan and Sarah occupied the other side.

"So…you two are soul mates, what's that like?" Caroline asked curiously, her gaze on Sarah.

Bonnie nudged her hard in the ribs. Caroline looked at her, "What?".

Bonnie nodded her head over to Elena.

"She said she was fine with all this" Caroline replied, giving Bonnie a dirty look, "You're lucky I'm a vampire, otherwise that would've really hurt". Bonnie just shook her head and took a sip of her soda.

"So Sarah, where are you from?" Elena asked her, eager to change the subject.

"Ohio," Sarah replied, "Paradise to be exact".

"Paradise, Ohio, that sure is a cool name for a town. Is it really _paradise_?" Elena joked.

Sarah shook her head, "Hardly. It's just another boring little town, unlike Mystic Falls".

"What I wouldn't give for this town to be boring every once in a while," Bonnie muttered. Caroline and Elena nodded in agreement.

"Christ," Stefan muttered, his hand pinching the bridge of his nose. The girls looked over to see Damon sauntering through the entrance.

Sarah bit her lip, "Let me guess, Damon?". So that was Stefan's older brother. Everyone at the table nodded. Damon's gaze caught hers and he immediately walked over to their table.

"Hello gang," Damon greeted, a fake smile plastered over his face. The girls mumbled a hello.

"Is this what you were trying to hid earlier, baby bro? A new girlfriend" Damon asked, his gaze landing on Sarah. "Go away, Damon" Stefan growled.

Damon smirked, "Now who is this pretty young thing?".

"I'm Sarah," Sarah replied. Damon reached out, taking Sarah's hand and lifted her hand up to his lips before she could even protest., "And I'm Damon". But before his lips could touch her skin, Stefan intervened, quickly taking her hand away from his brother's grasp.

"Jeez Stefan, I was only trying to be polite".

He looked back at Sarah and smiled," You wouldn't happen to be a doppelganger, would you? Cause my brother really has a thing for 'em".

"Damon, do us all a favor and leave us alone," Caroline said, throwing a glare at Damon.

Damon ignored her, "Whatever, I'll be at the bar". He glanced down at Sarah, "You're welcome to join me".

Sarah politely shook her head, "Thanks but no thanks".

Bonnie snickered, "I do believe you just got flat out rejected".

Damon rolled his eyes at her before heading off in direction to the bar.

Once Damon left, Caroline looked to Sarah, "Whatever you do, do not fall for that one!". Sarah couldn't help but chuckle at Caroline's absurd advice, "Don't worry, he's really not my type".

Bonnie nodded, "Good. Not the bad boy type?".

Sarah smiled, "No, not the asshole type".

"I like this girl!" Caroline exclaimed, but then her face turned serious as she leaned into Sarah, "I really hope you don't die". Both Bonnie and Elena nudged Caroline hard this time.

"Would you two leave me alone?" Caroline said in aggravation, swatting both of them with a breadstick.

Sarah gulped, "I beg your pardon?".

"Ignore Caroline" Stefan advised, before throwing a glare Caroline's way.

Caroline shrugged, "What? I'm just saying most people that come through here either end up dead or part of the _un_dead".

"Good to know" Sarah said quietly.

Stefan shook his head at Caroline's behavior, "Okay, I'm going to go play some pool, Sarah you should join me. It will do you some good to get away from Caroline" he muttered as he slid out of the booth, taking Sarah along with him.

"But I don't even know how to play pool," Sarah started as Stefan led her over to the pool tables. "That's okay, I'll teach you" Stefan replied as he handed her a stick.

About ten minutes later, after Stefan had taught her everything about the game, the two of them were about to start a game. "You know, this isn't really going to be a fair game," Sarah stated as Stefan set up the balls.

"And why is that?" Stefan asked, stepping back to see if the balls were perfectly center.

"Because I'm a beginner and you've had hundreds of years to perfect your game", she watched as he got in position to hit the cue ball, "And besides, you're a freaking vampire, you probably can use mind control over the balls to get them in the little pockets".

Stefan chuckled and hit the cue ball, "I don't need mind control. I have what some call…talent". She slugged him in his arm, "Jerk".

He playfully nudged her as he walked around the table to find a good place to hit from, "Don't hate the player, hate the game".

She glared at him, "Okay is it my turn?". He nodded and gestured for her to proceed. Sarah leaned forward, her eyes fixated on the cue ball. She thrust the cue stick and missed the ball completely.

"Oh darn it" she said, her words laced with frustration as she straightened up. She could hear Stefan snickering behind her.

"Didn't you say you used to once be a cheerleader?".

"Yes, but what does that have anything to do with playing pool?" Sarah asked, her hands going to her hips.

"Well I just thought you'd have better hand-eye coordination, but obviously you weren't a cheerleader for very long," he teased.

"Stefan?".

"Yes?".

"Shut up" she said curtly before she moved to stand to the side. Stefan just smiled at her.

They continued on for about five minutes until someone abruptly called out Sarah's name.

"Sarah?".

Sarah straightened up and turned around, her eyes automatically widening at the sight before her, "_John_?".

* * *

><p><strong>AN: This story is just beginning to get interesting, believe me, just you wait and see! I can't wait to write (and publish) the next few chapters, they're going to be awesome!<strong>

**Reviews would be amazing!**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Again, thank you all who reviewed! Here's my New Year's gift to everyone! Hope you like it, so read. enjoy. review!**

* * *

><p>"<em>John?". <em>

Stefan's head whipped around at the name. Over by the take-out entrance was a guy of around their age with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes, holding a take-out bag. Stefan watched John's confused expression turn into that of pure elation as Sarah ran over to him.

"What are you doing here?" Sarah asked him.

"Just passing through town, we stopped to grab some food" John explained happily, "My god, I've missed you so much!".

Stefan's jaw clenched as he watched John pick Sarah up in his arms before spinning her around briefly.

"I missed you too," Sarah said once he put her down. Stefan about nearly broke his pool stick when John leaned down and kissed Sarah passionately. It took every fiber in his being not to head over there and pry that jackass away from her but thankfully, before he finally snapped, Sarah had enough sense to break the kiss.

"Not a day has gone by where I haven't thought about you," John said to Sarah, his lips pecking hers again.

He smiled brightly at her, "I still can't believe you're here! Wait-what are you doing here? Did you move or something?".

Sarah smiled and shook her head, "No, I'm here with….a friend…for the weekend".

John arched his eyebrow in surprise, "Your parents just let you go with a friend to Virginia for the weekend?".

Sarah nodded her head, "Yeah, they trust me".

John just shook his head and smiled, "Well, I sure am glad that they did. Must have been fate that brought us together again".

"Yeah…have you found the others already?".

John sighed and shook his head, "Every time we get close to one of them, they run off. I think they probably think we're Mogs or something. We were chasing one in New Orleans and apparently they passed through here".

"So does this mean Sam and Six are here too?".

John nodded, "They're waiting in the truck outside. C'mon, they won't believe that you're here". Before Sarah could say anything, John lead her outside.

Stefan slammed his pool stick down on the table and decided to go after them. Like hell he was going to leave Sarah alone with fucking alien. He hurriedly walked around the pool table only to be brought to halt by Elena. "Who was that with Sarah?" she asked curiously, looking back at the spot where they had last been.

"Her boyfriend, John" Stefan explained through gritted teeth.

Elena raised her eyebrows in surprise, "_Boyfriend?". _

Stefan nodded, "And get this, he's an alien".

Elena looked at him in disbelief, "_An alien?_".

Stefan sighed, "An alien".

Elena nodded her head, "Wow, aliens are hot". Stefan rolled his eyes and brushed past her before heading outside.

The moment they were outside, Sarah spotted Sam's truck and Six's motorcycle. Six was lounging on the hood of Sam's truck, while Sam gawked at her from inside. Six turned her head and immediately jumped off the hood, "How long does it take you to get some food, Four? This is the last time I ever-" She stopped talking upon seeing Sarah.

John tossed Six the bag of food, which she easily caught, "Look who I found".

"Well, well, well, if it isn't your _mate_," Six sneered the word as she set the bag of food on the truck.

Sam opened the truck door and out popped Bernie. "Bernie!" Sarah immediately knelt down as the pup ran over to her and she appreciatively scratched the beagle behind his ears.

Sam closed the door of the truck and waved, "Hey Sarah".

Sarah stood up and walked over to Sam before giving him a hug, "Hey Sam, you look good". Sam blushed slightly and shoved his hands in his pockets before picking up Bernie and heading back near Six.

"So what brings you away from your nest, Blondie?" Six inquired.

"Visiting some friends for the weekend," Sarah explained and just as she finished her sentence, the door behind them flew open to reveal Stefan.

John immediately went on the defense, not trusting the looks of Stefan, and stood protectively in front of Sarah.

"You okay?" Stefan asked Sarah, his gaze flickering briefly over John.

Sarah nodded, "I'm fine".

John relaxed a bit but his grip on Sarah's hand tightened, "Who's this?".

"Um, John this a friend of mine, Stefan. Stefan this is John". John reluctantly relinquished Sarah's hand and extended his hand to shake Stefan's but Stefan didn't take it.

"And over there is Sam and Six" she said. John looked at Sarah, silently indicating that she had called Jane, "Six".

"Oh, it's okay, John. Stefan knows about you guys" Sarah reassured, "And you don't have to worry about him telling anyone".

"Sarah, you can't just-".

"I bet you he thinks that if he keeps our secret then we'll keep his" Six said with a fold of her arms.

Stefan frowned, "What exactly are you implying?".

"Yeah, Six what are you talking about?" John asked, his gaze now on Six.

"What I'm talking about is that your little girlfriend is bud's with a vampire" Six explained. Everyone's expression changed, of course, for all different reasons.

John looked to Sarah, "_Is he a vampire?". _

Sarah fiddled with her cardigan and avoided his gaze, "Well…just a little bit".

Within the blink of an eye, John moved Sarah away from Stefan.

"John, Stefan is not going to hurt me!" Sarah exclaimed as she moved out of John's grasp. Stefan nodded in agreement and took a step towards her, "Yeah, I would never-".

"Back off parasite," John snarled as he stepped in front of Sarah. He looked Stefan up and down, "How the hell do you even exist?".

Stefan snorted, "I could ask you the same thing".

"Simple, born on another planet and came here. What are you, Dracula's son?".

Stefan stepped forward, his annoyance rising, "You really do not want to aggravate me, so you better watch yourself".

John scoffed, "I'd watch who you threaten. You have no idea what I'm capable of". John could feel his hands getting hot and did his best to contain himself. Sarah noticed this and quickly sandwiched herself in between the two, "Guys, please…calm down". John reluctantly stepped back.

Sarah sighed and looked over at Six, "How did you know about vampires?".

Six snorted, "I heard rumors about their existence from my guardian. And then as we headed closer to this place, I heard stories about this town. Turns out they were right, this place _is_ crawling with vampires" she finished, throwing a glare Stefan's way.

Sam seemed as though he was the only one happy with this discovery as he picked up Bernie, "Woah, vampires? Really? I can't believe this! First aliens, now vampires? This is trippy, what else exists?".

Six looked to Stefan, "Should I tell him or would you like to?".

Stefan merely folded his arms across his chest, "No, go ahead. I'd like to hear what else you know".

Six turned back to Sam and listed them using her fingers, "Vampires, witches, werewolves…and for some odd reason, they all like to take up residence in this little town. Why is that?" she asked, her gaze on Stefan.

"What, no unicorns?" John muttered under his breath.

"Sorry to burst your dream bubble, but they're in the next town over" Stefan snidely replied before looking over at Six, "How did you know that _I_ was a vampire?".

Six merely shrugged, "You give off this…strange vibe. That, and you have the scent of a corpse". John did his best to restrain a chuckle.

The back door to the Grill opened and everyone turned around to see who it was. It was Damon.

"Damon," It was clear that Stefan wasn't happy to see his brother, but then again, when was he ever? "Head back inside brother and go back to drowning away your sorrows in whiskey" he advised.

Damon kept walking up to them, "Now, now, Stefan, I'm just here to make sure you weren't causing trouble again". His gaze caught John's, "Who's the boy scout?".

"John Smith," John replied, his gaze unwavering.

Damon snorted, "_John Smith_, what a creative name. You know, one hardly ever hears that name. You must be the only John Smith in the world".

Six arched her eyebrow, "Who is this tool?".

Damon looked over at Six and smirked, "Ouch, who knew Goldie Locks was such a bitch. Hmm, although it makes sense…didn't she get eaten by bears in the end?".

"You better watch yourself vampire" Six hissed.

Damon rolled his eyes, "Ooh, I'm so scared of the itty bitty blonde". His eyebrows then furrowed in confusion, "Wait, how did you know I'm a vampire?".

"Lucky guess," Six said with a smirk.

The back door to the Grill opened yet again and this time Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline piled outside.

"What's going on?" Elena asked, looking to Damon and Stefan for an answer.

"Don't look at me. All I know is that I just made an enemy" Damon replied before throwing a gaze Six's way. Bonnie snorted and gave Caroline a look, "What else is new?". Caroline grinned.

"Are they all vampires too?" John asked.

"Nope. Just the blonde," Damon muttered, "The one on the left is a witch and the one on the right is just a…freaky human".

"Gee thanks, Damon" Elena said sarcastically with a roll of her eyes.

Bonnie folded her arms across her chest and stared at Six, "Who are you exactly?".

"This is John, Six, and Sam. John's my…boyfriend and Six and Sam are his friends".

"Are you two aliens like John?" Elena asked, her gaze on Six and Elena.

"Okay, how the hell does she know?" Six demanded, her heated gaze now on Sarah.

"I didn't tell her!" Sarah exclaimed, her gaze drifting over Stefan.

"I did," Stefan announced, "Just now before I came out here".

"Four, I'm seconds away from killing your girlfriend," Six said through gritted teeth.

John stepped in front of Sarah protectively, "C'mon Six-".

"What kind of a name is _Six_?" Caroline whispered to Bonnie, who just shrugged.

Six slugged him in the arm, "Now this whole bloody town knows about us, four! This is supposed to be a secret! And it's all your fault because you just _had_ to tell her the truth".

"We won't tell anyone if that's what you're worried about," Elena said softly.

Six rolled her eyes, "Yes, like I'm going to take the word of a chick who hangs around vampires". Elena frowned.

Damon glanced over at Sarah, "You know, I really hate your alien buddies".

"Well they hate you right back, trust me" John interjected before Sarah could reply.

"Agreed" Sam said suddenly with a firm nod of his head.

"Hey Damon," Elena said quietly.

"What?" Damon snapped.

Elena gave him a disapproving look before discreetly nodding her head in the direction of across the street, "There's a group of people staring at us" she said softly as she kept her head down. Sarah looked across the street to see a small group of shady looking people lurking around in the shadows. It was clear that they were watching them.

John's eyes narrowed, "More of your vampire buddies?".

"Hardly," Damon replied, "They could be some of Klaus' hybrids" he muttered to Stefan.

Six frowned, "_Who?"._

"Yea and what do you mean _hybrids_?" Sam inquired.

"Part vampire, part werewolf" Stefan replied under his breath.

"What are they still doing here?" Caroline whispered, partly glad that she didn't see Tyler with them, "I thought they all would've left with Klaus".

Damon frowned and shook his head, "Since Stefan went AWOL after homecoming, he probably ordered them to stay here to keep an eye on his precious doppelganger". His gaze landed on Elena.

I can easily take care of them," Bonnie replied.

"Thanks, but no thanks, I have my heart set on ripping their hearts out. You are so not taking that from me" Damon said with a shake of his head.

"We'll handle them," Six stated, looking to John briefly.

Damon snorted, "I'd like to see you try. You've never even fought a hybrid before. But please, do show us how it's done goldie locks".

"Okay then, you asked for it". Six then abruptly spun around and slammed a stake that she had been hiding and plunged it through Damon's chest. He let out a guttural groan as she plunged it deeper. Stefan snarled and threw her off Damon, spending her flying onto the hood of Sam's truck.

"Six!" John exclaimed.

"Four, there are more stakes in the back of the truck!". John nodded and headed for the back of the truck, unfortunately Stefan was too quick for him and slammed him into the ground. Bernie began barking wildly in Sam's arms.

Damon let out a pained laugh as he removed the stake from his chest, "You missed". He staggered in an upright position before lunging for Six.

"Bonnie do your headache thingy!" Elena said quickly.

"Damn bastard!" Six swore as Damon pulled her arm back.

As Sarah watched Stefan and John fight, she began having flashbacks to when John beat up Mark the night of the carnival and threatened to break his arm. The only difference was that John didn't seem to have the upper hand this time and Stefan was a lot more feral than John.

"Stefan, stop it!". She repeated this over and over and walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. Her touch stopped him almost immediately and he let go of John.

"Aaaggh!". Sarah watched in horror as Stefan fell at her feet, his hands clutching his head in pain. She looked over and could see Damon doing the same thing. "What are you doing to them?" Sarah asked Bonnie, as she dropped to her knees to see if Stefan was okay.

"What I do best," Bonnie replied as she lowered her hands. Automatically, Damon and Stefan stopped yelling.

"Christ, Bonnie. Why is it me you always do that to?" Damon exclaimed, pushing himself off his knees and brushing the dirt off.

"Because you always deserve it," she retorted.

"Are you okay?" Sarah asked Stefan as she helped him back up to his feet. He nodded and looked away from her. She could see that his eyes were still blood-shot and she could tell that he was ashamed of it. She reluctantly turned to John who was brushing himself off, "Are you okay?".

He nodded and rolled his jaw, "He sure packs a punch though". Sarah smiled weakly and gave John a hug before kissing his cheek.

"Now if you two are done _attempting_ to kill us," Damon started, his gaze on Six and John, "My brother and I have some hybrids to disembowel".

Caroline stepped forward, "At least let me help you guys…".

"We can handle it Blondie, besides knowing you, you'd probably just get bitten" Damon spat.

"You're one to talk Damon," Caroline growled.

Bonnie scoffed, "Have you forgotten, Damon? Had it not been for me, Tyler would've kicked your ass back at Homecoming".

Elena nodded, "Yeah, you couldn't even handle _one_, and yet you want to go up against _six_?".

Damon brushed her off-handedly, "All I hear is nag, nag, nag, Elena…besides I got my baby brother, a.k.a., Mr. Ripper on my side".

Elena arched her eyebrow, "So do you have a plan or are you just going to _wing it_?".

"Puh-lease, Elena. Of course I have a plan. You walk home, take a detour in the woods, the hybrids will follow you, Stefan and I follow them, then rip their hearts out and dispose of their bodies in the woods. Easy as 1,2,3". Damon turned to everyone else, "Now everyone _not_ mentioned in my plan can get the hell out of dodge".

"You should let John and Six help you," Sarah suggested.

Damon rolled his eyes, "Yeah, okay, like I'm really going to work with the chick who nearly killed me".

Elena frowned, "Don't be so stubborn Damon-". Damon just gave her his 'Damon' look.

Elena sighed, "Fine. Let's just get this over with. I want those hybrids gone".

"We're coming with you!" Caroline exclaimed, brushing past Damon and giving him a snide look before walking away with Elena and Bonnie. Stefan followed suit, his eyes meeting Sarah's briefly before he continuing walking. Damon let out an exasperated sigh before following his brother.

"C'mon, Four, let's go. We need to get back on the road," Six stated once they were all out of sight. Sarah turned to John, "Please, can you help them?".

John frowned, "Sarah, why should I? They nearly-"

"Because I care about them, they're my friends" she interrupted.

"It's their stupid decisions to get themselves killed. We are not getting dragged into it" Six said sternly.

"She didn't ask for your help," John said bitterly before looking back at Sarah.

"If it will make you happy," he said quietly.

Sarah nodded, "It will".

He took her hand in his, "Then let's go".

"Four!" Six exclaimed as John and Sarah ran to catch up with the others, "Dammit Four!".

She noticed Sam trying to sneak past her, "You too Sam?".

Sam shrugged sheepishly and put Bernie down, "I really want to see the hybrids in action!". Six rolled her eyes and reluctantly ran after John and Sarah, Sam on her heels.

By the time John, Sarah, Six, and Sam had regrouped with the others deep in the woods, Stefan and Damon had already started fighting with the hybrids. The hybrid's eyes were yellowish, like wolves and they snapped their teeth violently at Damon and Stefan's necks. Damon ripped the heart out of one after a long struggle and tossed it's heart away.

"Stay back" John ordered to Sarah as he ran to help Damon and Stefan, Six behind him. Bonnie and Caroline were surrounding Elena, Bonnie doing her witchy thing whenever one of the hybrids came near and Caroline finishing them off. "Don't let them bite you," Caroline advised John as he helped her with a hybrid. Sarah scanned the area for Stefan, momentarily losing track of him. She found him and her stomach lurched as she watched him literally rip apart one of the hybrids. There was so much blood everywhere that she thought she might be sick.

Within a matter of minutes, all the hybrids were destroyed and they all regrouped. Damon clasped Stefan on the back, "Ladies and Gentleman, my brother, the ripper". Stefan shrugged off Damon's hand. "I had almost forgotten how much of a mess you make with your victims," Damon said with a smirk, noting the blood on Stefan's face and down the front of his shirt.

Six cleared her throat and Damon looked over at her, "What do you want?".

Six scoffed, "I do believe you have some words to say to me and Four, they come in the form of _thank you_".

Damon rolled his eyes, "Whatever, we didn't ask for your help and we didn't need it, we were perfectly capable of handling it on our own…Ouch!". Elena had nudged him in the ribs. Caroline sighed, "We should get back to the Grill, I left my purse there".

"Yeah, then we can return to my house" Bonnie said as she followed Caroline and Elena out of the woods.

The girls returned to the Grill as did John, Six, Sarah, and Sam. Sarah had noticed on the way back that Damon and Stefan had left them.

"Does this mean you have to leave now?" Sarah asked John was they were back at Sam's truck. John nodded, "Yeah, we need to get back on the road". She looked at him sadly. He leaned down and kissed her softly, "But we don't have to say goodbye yet. I taking you back to Paradise?". Sarah's eyes widened, "What?".

"No way, Four, it's too risky to go back there!" Six protested, immediately hopping of her motorcycle.

John looked back at her, "Sarah needs to get back home. She isn't safe here" he stated.

"I'm perfectly fine where I am, John" Sarah argued.

John shook his head, "Sarah, you're in a town crawling with vampires! You are most definitely not safe! Tonight is just proof of how unsafe it is here".

"But Four-" Six started.

John held up his hand, "We're heading North already, Six. And if going back to Paradise is so risky, then I'll just take her home myself, you and Sam don't have to join us".

Six shook her head, "Like hell I'm letting you out of my sight. Mogs are probably still lurking around there!".

Sam nodded in agreement, "Besides, the town probably has wanted posters of you all around town, especially after how we left the football field".

John shook his head, "I am taking Sarah home, whether you like it or not".

Sarah shook her head, "But John, you don't-".

"Sarah please, I did what you asked. Can't you just do the same? Your safety means the world to me".

Sarah bit her lip, "…Okay, but I need to stop at Bonnie's…to get my bag and say goodbye". John nodded, "Yeah okay".

"Where did Sarah go?" Elena asked as she, Caroline, and Bonnie walked inside Bonnie's living room, "She just left with John and the others".

"I'm sure she's in good hands, I mean she's with her hunky boyfriend" Caroline said with a smirk. Just then the front door opened and they all turned to see that it was Stefan.

Caroline made a face, "You might want to go upstairs and wash your face, you still got hybrid blood all over you,".

Stefan nodded, "I will, but first, where's Sarah?".

"She didn't' come back with us, she left with John" Elena explained.

Stefan's jaw tightened, "Did she say when she was coming back?". The three girls looked at each other before shaking their heads.

Stefan frowned, "Oh".

"But I'm sure she'll come back, I mean she wouldn't just leave without saying goodbye to you," Caroline looked over at Bonnie and Elena, "Right?". They shrugged.

"It's okay, really".

Elena walked up to him, "Look, I know all of this is hurting you. It probably isn't easy seeing the girl you love with another guy".

Stefan shook his head, "I don't love Sarah".

"Oh please" Caroline and Bonnie said together. Elena smiled, "I've only known about you two since today and already I can tell, just by the way you look at her that you are completely head over heels for her. I know you probably don't want to talk to me about this, seeing as how I'm your ex, but I still care about you, Stefan. I'm your friend, and I want you to be happy. And it's clear that she makes you happy".

"And besides, she's your soulmate," Caroline lifted up both her hands and brought them together so that they made a heart, "You two _belong_ together".

"I appreciate the talk but…" he just shook his head, "She's with John. She's happy with him". Bonnie folded her arms across her chest, "She loves you, believe me, Stefan. Deep down, she knows that you are the one she truly wants".

"All you have to do is make the first move," Caroline said with a nod.

Stefan nodded, "Then I will…by leaving".

The three girl's faces fell, "What?".

"I'm going to find Katherine?" he stated.

"What? Why- but how did she end up in this?" Caroline exclaimed, "And why the hell would you want to find her?".

"She has some information I need," he explained, his gaze fleeting over to Bonnie briefly.

Elena shook her head and got up from her place on the couch, "Stefan, don't. You can't trust her".

"She is somehow connected to this thing between Sarah and I. I need to find out how and what exactly she knows".

Bonnie sighed in frustration, "Stefan haven't you learned that getting her involved just leads to more trouble?".

"How do you even know where to find her?" Caroline inquired.

"Knowing Katherine, she probably won't be far. I have a few places in mind off the top of my head".

"Stefan this isn't a good idea" Elena said, still shaking her head. The doorbell rang suddenly and stopped Stefan from answering.

Caroline smiled proudly, "It's your _love". _Bonnie opened the door and Sarah stepped inside.

"Where have you been?" Caroline asked her.

"With John, I just stopped by to get my bag….John is taking me back home".

"What, why?" Caroline exclaimed, her gaze darting between Stefan and Sarah.

Sarah turned to Stefan, "Mind if I talk to you upstairs?". Stefan shook his head and they both headed upstairs.

Sarah led him into her room and closed the door behind him.

"John wants me to go back home. He thinks it's best that I go home. He doesn't think it's safe for me to stay here" she started, "I tried to talk him out of it, I told him my parents would pick me up in a few days but he wouldn't budge".

Stefan nodded and sat down on the edge of her bed, "John's right. The best thing would be for you to go back home".

She looked at him in surprise, "What? You actually agree with _John_?".

"Believe it or not," he sighed, "But yes. The best thing for you is to get back to Paradise".

"What? Why?".

"Caroline was right with what she was talking about before. People that come to this town either end up dead or part of the _un_dead. I cannot let anything like that happen to you".

"Nothing is going to happen to me, not with you protecting me," she said softly.

He shook his head, "Like I told you before, the people I try to protect ultimately end up getting hurt in some way" he said bitterly.

Sarah sighed, "I'll be right back". He watched as she disappeared into the bathroom. She reappeared a few moments later, holding what looked like a small towel. He watched as she walked over to him and stood in between his legs. He felt her delicate hands on his face and he automatically closed his eyes. She tilted his chin up with two fingers and gently used a damp hand towel to clean his face. He opened his eyes and watched as she took away the traces of blood with care and delicacy. She seemed unfazed that what she was wiping off was _blood_ on his face, and not something normal like say…spaghetti sauce.

"I scared you tonight, didn't I?" he whispered.

She smiled meekly, "Just a little".

He turned his head and kissed the inside of her wrist, "I'm sorry you had to see me like that".

"It's okay".

He frowned, "Doesn't it bother you at all, what I did? I mean, it was only a few weeks ago where I was doing that with innocent people".

She looked at him sympathetically, "It isn't your fault. None of this is….".

"I just wish I could promise you that you'll never see my like that again" he murmured, "I could snap again, I could end up attacking an innocent person…it could be you".

Sarah shook her head, "No it won't. You have more control than you give yourself credit for, Stefan".

"I need to stop drinking human blood, that's my problem," he said softly, "Then I'll be able to….".

"I'll do whatever I can to help you, Stefan but I won't help to and change you back to the way you were. That lifestyle obviously wasn't working for you. I don't want you to be someone you're not. You just need to learn not to go over the edge…I really wish I could've been there to help you over the years".

He smiled, "I'm positive that if I had you by my side, I wouldn't be having this problem".

She smiled back at him and then looked at him worriedly, "The hybrids didn't hurt you, did they?" she asked him, gently swiping the tip of his nose with the towel.

He smiled weakly and shook his head, "Nope".

She sighed, "Good".

"While you head back home, I'm going to go look for Katherine" he said when she finished.

She looked at him with wide eyes, "What?".

Stefan nodded, "She knows something. I know she does and I need to find out what".

Sarah shook her head, "Stefan, I don't want you to, I have a bad feeling about her".

He smiled, "As you should, but I need to do this".

"At least let me come with you, that way I can-".

Stefan shook his head, "There is no way in hell that I'm putting you so much as a hundred feet near Katherine".

Stefan stood up, his hands on her waist, "But before I go, there's something I need to tell you," He touched his forehead with hers, "Sarah, I l-".

"Hey, Sarah-". Both Stefan and Sarah jumped at the voice and they quickly spun around.

"Sorry, was I interrupting something?" Bonnie asked, her hand still wrapped around doorknob.

Stefan recomposed himself and cleared his throat, "Of course not".

Bonnie looked at him suspiciously, then drew her eyes away from him and onto Sarah, "Anyways, just wanted to say that Six wants you to hurry up, or as she phrased it, _'Tell her to get her ass down here!'"._

"Tell her I'll be right there," Sarah replied. Bonnie nodded and headed back downstairs.

Once she left the room, Sarah looked back at Stefan, "What was it you wanted to tell me?".

Stefan just shook his head, "Nothing, just be safe".

He started towards the door but he felt Sarah grab his hand, pulling him back.

"What is it?" he asked, his heart slightly beating faster than usual.

"It's just…promise me you'll be careful, Stefan".

He smiled weakly and nodded, "I will".

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><p><strong>AN: Can't wait til Katherine comes around...which will be in the next chapter! <strong>

**Reviews would be amazing!**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Thanks again to those who reviewed! Hope everyone had a good New Year's Eve. Hopefully 2012 is going to be a lot better than 2011. Anyways, here's another chapter for you all! **

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><p>It didn't take long for Stefan to reach his first suspected hiding spot of Katherine's. Brooklyn, New York had always been a favorite city for her to take residency in. Just as Stefan still kept his Chicago apartment, Katherine kept her loft in Brooklyn. He walked down the hall of a building and knocked on the door at the end of the hallway. He instantly caught Katherine's scent and he knew he had found her. "Come in," he heard Katherine's voice from the other side. He opened the door to see Katherine sitting on the couch, one leg crossed over the other, a drink in her hand.<p>

"Stefan, long time no see, to what do I owe this pleasure?" she asked sweetly.

Stefan closed the door behind him, "You know, you were oddly easy to find, Katherine. This isn't like you. If _I_ can find you, what makes you think Klaus can't?".

Katherine scoffed, "Did you ever stop to think that maybe I _let_ you find me?".

Stefan nodded, "Yes, but why? You didn't even know I was looking for you".

She arched her eyebrow, "Oh I didn't?".

Stefan rested his hands on the back of a chair, "So you know why I'm here, then".

"I have a few hunches".

He straightened up and folded his arms across his chest, "Which are?".

She glanced at him over the rim of her glass and brought it down momentarily, "Would your visit here have anything to do with the blonde that's caught you eye for the moment?"

His jaw tightened, "Maybe".

"Now what was her name….", Katherine pretended to ponder over it for a minute, "Oh, I remember, sweet Sarah". She smiled wickedly and finished off her drink.

Stefan watched as she stood up and walked over to her bar, "Just out of curiosity, how did you know about her, Katherine?".

She smiled teasingly at him as she poured herself another drink, "Wouldn't you like to know".

"Enough with your games, Katherine," Stefan said through gritted teeth.

Katherine rolled her eyes, "Oh Stefan, you really are no fun".

"Katherine," he said warningly.

"I just love when you're pissed off Stefan, it's so incredibly arousing" she said seductively whilst biting her lip.

Stefan ignored her, "I take it you know about Sarah being reincarnated".

Katherine nodded and crunched an ice cube between her teeth, "I do….unfortunately".

He watched her closely, "And why do you say that?".

Katherine let out an exasperated sigh, "Because no matter how many times I kill that girl, she just keeps coming back. It gets rather annoying".

"Why her? What did she ever do to you?" he demanded.

Katherine chuckled, "Because you chose her over me".

"What?". Stefan then thought back to the memory Sarah had told him about, when they were together in 1864 and how Katherine had told her to stay away from him.

"You know, a little birdie told me that she remembers some of her memories, courtesy of that Bennett witch of yours. Did you_ really _use hypnosis on the poor girl?" Katherine started to chuckle, "I would've liked to of been there for that".

"How many times have you killed her?".

Katherine shrugged, "I've lost count, but I've been killing that girl since 1864. It's become kind of a game, really. Although it isn't that hard to track her down anymore, wherever you are, she'd be somewhere near by". Stefan felt his hand clench up into fists.

"You know sometimes I didn't even have to lift a finger. You did the dirty work for me all by yourself".

"What are you talking about Katherine?" Stefan snapped.

"I'm saying that when she didn't die by _my_ hands…she died by _yours_".

She smirked, "Pretty twisted, huh? And the best part? You don't even remember doing it".

Stefan sat down opposite her, "And why is that exactly? How am I not able to remember _killing _her or even knowing her?".

Katherine sighed, "I'm afraid I'm to blame for that".

Stefan shook his head, "Why am I not surprised?".

Katherine sat back on the couch and beckoned Stefan to join her, "Why don't we take a trip down memory lane, well it'll be for me anyways, so shall we?". Stefan reluctantly sat down opposite her on a chair.

Katherine leaned back in her seat, "First time I killed Sarah was in 1864, right after you and Damon got yourselves killed. I wasn't about to leave her alive just so you two could be together and live _happily ever after_" she started.

Stefan frowned, "How did you know that I would complete my transformation instead of just choosing to die?".

"I knew that the temptation of blood would be too great for you to withstand".

He stared at her disbelievingly, "So you just killed Sarah as payback for me rejecting you".

Katherine nodded, "Basically, yes. And I thought that was the end of her. But then as I went to check up on you, I crossed her path twenty-five years later in Nashville. To say the least, I was surprised. There she was, same hair, same eyes, same sweet disposition. The only thing that differed was the clothing. I automatically thought that maybe I had inadvertently turned her. But as I got a closer look, I realized she was as human as anyone else".

"Let me guess, you decided then to kill her, like before".

Katherine smiled, "Ah, Stefan, you are so bright. I figured I would just kill her again, but before I got the chance to….a certain _ripper _got in the way and did the job for me," she looked at Stefan through her thick lashes, "And let me tell you, it was definitely an incredibly erotic watching the man you love draining the life of the girl you despise".

Stefan just rolled his eyes at her, "What happened next?".

"That's how the story played out for the next fifty years. You killed Sarah and didn't give a rat's ass about it, and I silently cheered you on from the sidelines" she sighed in frustration, "That all changed, of course, when good 'ol Lexi turned you into holier than thou Stefan. The brooding, compassionate Stefan who only fed on animals. Although I wasn't upset for too long, especially when that USO dance came up in '43".

"You were there" Stefan muttered.

She nodded, "Yup and I watched you two sway the night away to Glen Miller and fall madly in love with each other," she snorted, "It was sickening. But after you left, I watched her get in her car. Poor thing was so upset!," she said with a shake of her head, "So what did I do, you might ask? Well I compelled a truck driver to purposely crash into her car. It went off without a hitch and she was squashed like a little bug. It was very entertaining".

Stefan had to bite back a growl.

Katherine crossed her legs again, "Oh and that Bon Jovi concert that you and Lexi went to in '87? Well you'll never guess who was also in attendance, and you'll never guess whose body was dumped off the side of the Brooklyn Bridge by the end of the night".

That was enough to make him snap. Stefan's hands wrapped around her neck in record speed. Katherine launched him across the room where he staggered momentarily before lunging at her again. She slammed him against the wall, the pressure of his back more than enough to make the brick crack. He quickly pushed her away, sending her onto the coffee table, the thing instantly breaking upon impact. She'd almost forgotten how strong and vicious he was when was on human blood. She got up nonchalantly and brushed herself off, "That was fun".

"You never answered my question, Katherine," Stefan said through gritted teeth, "How do I not remember any of this?".

Katherine brushed him off-handedly and walked back to the bar, "Oh I just compelled you is all".

Stefan followed her, "How the hell did you compel me? Only Originals can compel other vampires".

She smiled wickedly and grabbed another glass, "Had a little help from a witch in that department. And it worked wonderfully".

She walked around him, grabbing a bottle of Jack Daniels before walking back over to the couch, "First time I compelled you was shortly after you finished your transformation. You had just gotten word of you dearly beloved's passing and you were contemplating suicide. You hadn't even been a full vampire for 48 hours and already you wanted to die," she said with a roll of her eyes, "Thankfully I didn't leave Mystic Falls right away, as you had thought. I couldn't let you kill yourself. When the time was right, I'd return to you and we'd be together again. But, if you died, and I mean _really _died, my plan would go up in flames. So I enlisted in Emily's help, made you forget all about her and the rest you know".

"If you compelled me in 1864, I understand how I wouldn't remember Sarah in that time, but what about the other times I've met her?".

"Every time you two crossed paths, I just," she snapped her fingers, "Compelled you and bye-bye memories".

"So that's what you've been doing all this time, Katherine? Stalking me, just so I would forget ever knowing her?".

"I wouldn't call it _stalking_, Stefan".

"But that's what it is".

She smirked, "I know, but let's not call it that".

He rolled his eyes at her and shook his head.

Katherine leaned forward in her seat, "Hey, Stefan, what to know a secret?".

Stefan let out an exasperated sigh, "What are you, Katherine, eight years old?".

She brushed his comment aside, "Hardly. But guess what I have in an abandoned warehouse up the street".

"What, Katherine?".

She gave him a mischievous smile, "The bodies of a certain Hybrid's family".

Stefan's eyes widened, "You didn't".

Katherine nodded, "I had finished putting them in the warehouse just moments before you arrived".

"How the hell did you get them?" Stefan demanded.

"When Klaus wasn't looking, I merely," she made a whooshing sound, "Swept them out of the truck. I wonder if he's noticed that his truck is filled with the bodies of some hicks rather than that of his family. Wish I could see his face…but then again, I don't".

Stefan shook his head in disbelief, "Are you insane? You do realize that Klaus will find out about this and when he does, he will kill you".

"Not likely, I have his _precious_ family".

Stefan was still shaking his head, "This is incredibly stupid of you, Katherine. I'm actually surprised. I thought you wanted to get as far from Klaus as possible?".

Katherine got up from her seat, "Klaus isn't dead, so that means that I needed to take my revenge in another way….".

"By stealing his family but-" realization hit him, "Oh, I see. You're taking away his family because he took away yours".

Katherine smiled, "Bingo".

"But he's going to figure it out sooner or later and he's going to hunt you down, Katherine. What are you going to then? Oh right, nothing, because you'll be dead" he pointed out.

She shook her head, "Klaus is not going to find out that I took his family".

"And why not?".

"Because _you're_ going to take the credit for it".

He stared at her in disbelief, "What?".

Katherine nodded, "I'll tell you what. I will make you a little deal, Stefan. If you take a hold of Klaus' families' bodies and make it seem like _you_ were the one who took them-".

"Why the hell would I do something as stupid as that, Katherine?".

"Because, if you do, then I will lift my compulsion so that you can remember every single memory that you spent with your little beloved Sarah". Stefan's jaw tightened.

"And to sweeten the deal, I'll promise to never lay another hand on her for the rest of eternity" she promised, lifting her hand up as if she were a boy scout.

He smirked, "You do realize that I could just _kill_ you and then I would be free of your compulsion, right?".

Katherine smiled and shook her head, "Silly Stefan, the compulsion I have on you isn't just ordinary compulsion. It doesn't just lift as soon as I die. I made sure of that".

Stefan shook his head, "No deal, Katherine. I can handle not remembering. It isn't worth the risk of what you want me to do".

"Oh c'mon, Stefan. I know you want your revenge, I can see it in your eyes. This is your chance. Make Klaus suffer, make him suffer like he's been doing to the rest of us".

Stefan shook his head, "No, Katherine. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to get out of here. I really don't want to be here when Klaus comes knocking on your door".

Katherine sighed, and whipped out her phone "I thought you might refuse. I hate that you're making me do this, Stefan, but I have no other choice…".

Stefan's eyes narrowed, "What are you doing?".

"I have about seven or eight vampires lurking outside of your precious Sarah's home in Ohio. All I have to do is give the signal and they will rip apart her family". Stefan snarled at this.

Katherine just smiled sadistically, "Oh, and that's _not _including the other eight vampires that I have trailing your little blonde and her buddies. Heard her boyfriend's an alien, that was definitely a surprise".

Katherine held up her phone, "So what's it going to be, Stefan?".

Sarah fiddled with the rose Stefan had given her earlier that morning as they passed through another small town somewhere in Kentucky. She was sandwiched in between Sam and John, with John driving. Sam was asleep next to her, Bernie resting against him. Six was in front of them, driving her bright red motorcycle that shined in the darkness thanks to Sam's headlights on it. She rested her head on John's shoulder and sighed. "You okay?" John asked her quietly, careful not to disturb Sam and Bernie.

She nodded against his arm, "Fine". He reluctantly took his eyes off her and focused back on the road, "Do you mind telling me how in the world you ended up hanging around vampires?".

She fiddled with one of the rose petals and sighed, "It's complicated".

"Enlighten me, please".

She bit her lip, "Well, Stefan…he came to Paradise and we met and became friends. He told me what he was and well…he offered to show me his hometown and yeah…here I am".

John frowned, "That doesn't sound complicated". _That's because I gave you the heavily edited version, she thought to herself. _

She swallowed hard and pressed her cheek into his arm, "I guess not".

"He's never…_bitten_ you, has he?".

She straightened up and shook her head, "Goodness, no. Stefan is my friend. He would never do anything like that".

"The guy's a psychopath if you ask me," he mumbled under his breath.

She frowned, "He's been through a lot, John. There's a reason why he's the way he is".

John sighed, "I guess I'll take your word on it…but I still don't like the way he looks at you".

"What do you mean?".

"It's obvious that he likes you, Sarah. And I know I shouldn't be thinking this but I can't help but get the idea that the feelings are mutual".

"John, I-".

John looked over at her, "Just answer this question. Can you honestly say that you have no feelings, other than that of friendship, about Stefan?….should I be worried, Sarah?".

Sarah looked over at him, "Look, John, I care about Stefan a lot, but I'm not sure just how far my feelings go for him".

"You didn't answer my other question, should I be worried?" he asked again.

"I can't say," she said quietly.

Katherine looked at Stefan expectantly, "So Stefan, do we have a deal?".

Stefan had his eyes closed and his jaw was clenched, "Ok".

Katherine smiled, "I thought you'd see it my way, Stefan".

"If I do this, you lift your compulsion and promise never harm Sarah in this life or in any other life ever again".

Katherine nodded and held out her hand, "So deal?".

Stefan reached for her hand but then abruptly slammed her into the wall, his hands around her throat, "If you betray me, Katherine, in any way, I will rip your heart out and tear you limb from limb".

Katherine rolled her eyes and pushed his hands away, "I won't betray you Stefan. No need to get nasty".

"Fine. Now take the compulsion away".

She arched her eyebrow, "How do I know _you_ won't go back on your word?".

Stefan snorted, "I, unlike you Katherine, always keep my promises".

With a slight roll of her eyes, she sighed, "Yes, you're so pious. Just come here, do you want me to take off the compulsion or not?". Stefan stepped towards her.

She looked up into Stefan's eyes, "You can remember now".

As soon as she finished her sentence, as if he had been hit by a freight train, all his forgotten memories had resurfaced and flashed through his head like a picture show. The first memory quickly flashed before his eyes.

_1864, Virginia_

_Stefan watched from his window upstairs as an unfamiliar coach pulled up to the driveway. His father's voice suddenly echoed from downstairs, "Stefan! Damon!". Stefan tore himself away from his window and quickly headed downstairs. He hurriedly walked down the stairs to see his father waiting in the doorway, "Yes, father?". _

_His father looked up at him, "Where is Damon, we have our first guest arriving for the Ball". Stefan shrugged. Damon was probably out somewhere in the gardens with Katherine. The very thought of them alone together made his stomach uneasy. _

"_Alas," he beckoned Stefan to finish coming down the stairs, "You will help me in greeting our guests then". _

_Stefan sighed as his father clasped him on the back, "Of course, father". _

_They both walked outside. A beautiful, fair-skinned woman with cascading blonde locks stepped out of the coach. Stefan swallowed hard, his heart beating erratically. _

"_Come, Stefan," his father told him, as he stepped down from the porch and headed towards the girl. As he and his father walked closer, Stefan realized that the girl was more than beautiful; she was sublime…an angel. Katherine herself couldn't hold a candle up to this angel in front of him. There was such a sense of familiarity when he looked at her. He held his breath as his father introduced them and her brilliant green eyes met his. _

_Stefan bowed as she curtsied, "It's a pleasure meeting you Miss Emerson". He couldn't help but smile as he watched her cheeks redden, "Please, call me Sarah" she said softly. _

"_Sarah" he whispered, an even wider smile spreading across his face. A beautiful name to compliment a beautiful face. Sarah Salvatore, he thought to himself, the name was so utterly perfect for her. He couldn't help but take her hand and brush his lips across her soft skin. "Stefan, why don't you show our guest the gardens to entertain her until her parents arrive?" his father suggested. _

"_Gladly, father," he turned to Sarah, "That is, if it is alright with you". _

_Sarah nodded and held out her hand, "I would love to see your gardens". Stefan eagerly took her hand in his and led her away from his father. _

"_Your home is ever so lovely," Sarah commented as Stefan walked her around the grounds. "Why thank you, I'm sure your home is just as lovely," Stefan replied, his cheeks reddening as he felt her slid her arm into his. _

"_So you do you return home after the ball is over?" he asked. _

_She sighed, "Unfortunately so". Stefan's heart sank. "So many flowers in your garden," she commented, releasing his arm before going to smell some flowers. She fingered the petals of a dewy rose. "White roses are my favorite. Everyone prefers red because they mean love and the white ones always kind of get left out, but they're so beautiful, don't you think?". _

_Stefan nodded his head in agreement, "They are undervalued". _

_He leaned forward and plucked one of the roses, "Here". _

_She smiled graciously before taking it, "Why thank you…Oh!". She had dropped the flower and was now holding her finger, "It seems we forgot about the thorns". _

_She lifted up her finger so Stefan could see a faint droplet of blood trickling down her finger. He swallowed hard and his hand automatically went to his neck, tracing over the skin where Katherine had bitten him._

"_Are you okay?" she asked him, breaking him out of his thoughts. _

_He quickly nodded, "Oh yes. Forgive me for doing a stupid thing, I should've realized that there were thorns…". _

_Sarah shook her head, "It was purely accidental. It was nothing, really"._

_Stefan took her hand and wrapped back around his arm as they started to walk again, "Tell me Miss Emerson. Is anyone escorting you to the ball this evening?". _

_She shook her head shyly, "I'm afraid not". _

_Stefan cleared his throat, "Well, would it be…I mean…would you like it if I escorted you tonight?". _

_She smiled brightly up at him, "I would adore if you escorted me, Mr. Salvatore". _

_Stefan blushed, "Please, call me Stefan". _

"_Only when you start calling me Sarah" she said with a chuckle. _

"_Stefan!". Stefan and Sarah turned around to see Katherine and Damon walking over to them. "Who is this fetching creature, brother?" Damon asked, his gaze on Sarah. _

_Stefan smiled, "Sarah Emerson, my escort to the ball. Sarah this is my brother Damon and our house guest Miss Katherine Pierce". _

"_It's a pleasure to know you both," Sarah said politely before curtsying. _

"_Likewise, Miss Emerson," Katherine said softly, her gaze flickering to Stefan briefly, "Have you shown Miss Emerson the maze, Stefan?". Stefan shook his head, "Not yet, we were just talking about-". _

_Katherine turned to Damon, "Damon, why don't you show Miss Emerson the maze and Stefan and I will catch up". Damon nodded, "Okay. Will you join me Miss Emerson" he said, holding out his hand out for Sarah too take. She looked at Stefan briefly before taking his hand and allowing Damon to lead her away._

_Once Damon and Sarah were out of sight, Katherine turned to Stefan, "Lovely girl". _

_Stefan beamed, "I know". _

"_So you're escorting her to the ball tonight?". _

_Stefan nodded, "I just asked her". _

_She arched her eyebrow, "You asked her?". _

_Stefan nodded, "Is that a problem?"._

_Katherine leaned into him, "I just thought that you would escort me, Stefan"._

"_I think Damon would be more than happy to take you Miss Katherine, besides I think he assumed that you would go with him". _

"_I would much rather go with you, Stefan" Katherine said with a slight pout. _

"_I'm sorry, Katherine, I've already promised Sarah". _

"_Oh poo, Damon could take her, she probably won't care". _

_Stefan shook his head, "That's alright. I want to take Miss Emerson". _

"_What about me, Stefan? What about the fun we've been having lately? Don't you want that to continue?" she asked him, her arms wrapping around his neck. _

_Stefan gently removed her hands, "I'm sorry Miss Katherine. I can't continue sneaking around with you. Things have changed, I don't feel the way I used to anymore". _

_Katherine scoffed, "Because of her?". _

_Stefan nodded, "I know it's strange, seeing as how I've only just met her, but I can't explain it. I've never felt this way about any other woman before". _

"_You still have my heart, Stefan" Katherine whispered. _

_Stefan sighed, "I am sorry, Katherine but I'm afraid Miss Emerson has my heart". _

"Stefan!".

"Stefan!".

Stefan shook his head and blinked, he looked around and realized that he was standing in front of Katherine, only it wasn't 1864.

"Having a fun trip down memory lane?" she asked. Stefan clutched his head and groaned. "Here," Stefan realized she had shoved something towards him. He looked down and saw that it was whiskey. "Drink, it will make you feel better". He reluctantly took it and drank it down in one sip.

She folded her arms across her chest, "I'm surprised that you're still standing, seeing as how over a hundred and sixty years worth of forgotten memories were just unlocked".

"I definitely feel it," Stefan muttered.

She shoved another drink at him, this time it was filled with blood, "Drink up, I need to take you to the warehouse. We need to start getting our plan in motion and fast".

Stefan drank up the blood, "Fine, but I need to make a phone call first".

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Dun dun dun! lol. <strong>

**As for the next chapter, I be****lieve it might contain a kiss between our favorite couple because I've been lagging it out for too long. I've been going crazy deciding when they should kiss. so...maybe...probably...the next chapter it will finally happen. But who knows? **

**Reviews would be amazing! =]**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: First off, thanks to those who reviewed! Second off, it turns out I'm a liar. I know I said that there would be a kiss in this chapter but...there isn't. I know, I know! Feel free to yell and scream, and pout if you like. I really shouldn't of said anything until I knew for sure. Grrr...I could've thrown a kiss in here but I have it planned as an epic moment and yeah...I didn't think it would be epic if I just threw it in this chapter. Forgive me! So anyways, please, read. enjoy(hopefully despite there not being a kiss). and review please! But if you don't that's okay, it will be my punishment for being a liar. lol **

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><p>Katherine shook her head and took back the now empty glass of blood away from Stefan, "Nu-uh. No phone calls to your blonde just yet. We have work to do".<p>

"So what is your plan, Katherine? When Klaus realizes his family's missing, he's going to raise a lot of hell. And the first place he's going to do that in is in Mystic Falls. After he kills everyone there, he'll eventually trace it back to us and come looking for us. What will we do then? It's not like we have another secret weapon".

"Oh contraire, Stefan. We have a secret weapon. Actually, we have _several_ secret weapons".

Stefan arched his eyebrow, "_Which are?". _

"Those extraterrestrial buddies of your blonde gal pal, obviously".

"They're strong, I'll give them that, but I highly doubt they're strong enough to actually kill Klaus. I mean, there's only two of them".

"Sarah's boyfriend mentioned that they were looking for others like them, that there were four more out on the run. That makes six".

"Just because there are six of them doesn't guarantee Klaus' demise" Stefan pointed out.

"I know that Stefan, but I know something that does".

Stefan frowned, "What?".

Katherine sighed, "Look, the White Oak tree stake burned up with Mikael when Klaus staked him, correct?".

Stefan nodded, "Yes".

"Well when something burns up, what does it leave?".

"Ashes" he replied.

"Exactly! Ashes, Stefan. We use the ashes of the White Oak stake to regenerate another one!".

Stefan frowned and was about to speak but Katherine stopped him, "I bet you anything that you're little witch has a spell that will do exactly that".

Stefan nodded, "It seems that you got this plan all figured out, Katherine, but then why do we need the aliens?".

"Because Stefan, Klaus is already suspicious of all of us. He'll ensure that whoever takes him down will go along with him by facing the wrath of his precious hybrids. Once we get our Oak tree stake back, someone's going to have to stab Klaus with it. It can't be a vampire because then they'll die and I know Damon isn't about to let Elena within ten feet of Klaus, even if it is to kill him. Elena probably won't risk anyone else to do it so who does that leave?".

Stefan nodded, "I see, so we have the aliens do it. Klaus doesn't know they exist so it will completely be out of left field. He won't even see it coming, the aliens will have the upper hand…".

"And bye-bye Klaus. It's the perfect plan and neither one of us has to get our hands dirty". Katherine said with a satisfied smirk.

"But, John said that they were looking for the other six aliens for months, Katherine. We don't have a few months to track them down too" Stefan pointed out.

"We don't need a few _months_, Stefan," she said with a roll of her eyes, "All we need is a witch who can perform a locator spell". _Bonnie, Stefan thought. _

"Okay, but what about the most important piece to this whole plan? The ashes, do you have them?".

Katherine sighed in frustration, "Unfortunately, no. By the time I had come up with this ingenious plan I was far away from Mystic Falls".

"Well, back to square one, then".

"Not necessarily, Stefan".

"It's been weeks since Homecoming, Katherine. The ashes were probably swept away and tossed in the trash by Tyler's mother".

Katherine rolled her eyes, "Do you really think Klaus would be that stupid and let that happen? Knowing Klaus, he probably saved the ashes and hid them somewhere".

Stefan glanced out one of the windows, the early morning ray's hitting his skin, "Tyler".

Katherine looked at him, "What?".

He turned away from the window and looked back at her, "I bet you Klaus had Tyler hide the ashes for him".

Katherine nodded, "You're probably right…you don't think that the ashes are still at Tyler's house, do you?".

Stefan shrugged, "It's possible. Klaus probably doesn't suspect that any of us know about the ashes. It could be hiding right under our noses for all we know".

Katherine nodded in agreement, "Tyler probably hid it in his house or on the old Lockwood property, somewhere close by".

Stefan smirked, "Maybe he took a page out of his Uncle Mason's book and hid the ashes in a well filled with vervain".

Katherine glared at him, "What we need to do is inform Damon and the whole Scooby gang about this so we can have them look for the ashes". Stefan nodded in agreement.

Katherine browsed through her contacts, "I'll call up Damon while you head to Ohio. You need to track down John and persuade him to help us out".

Stefan scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably, "I'm probably the last person he'd want to help out, Katherine".

"We need his cooperation, Stefan. Just tell him that if he agrees to help us defeat Klaus, then we could use a locator spell to find his alien buddies. It's not like it's a lie," she sighed in frustration, Just say whatever you have to get him to agree".

Stefan nodded and headed towards the door, "Fine".

"Oh and Stefan?".

Stefan stopped, his hand on the doorknob, "What?".

"I suggest if you want to guarantee that we get John's help….don't flirt with his girlfriend".

* * *

><p>Katherine's words echoed through Stefan's mind even an hour and a half later as he neared Philadelphia. He had hoped that when he returned to Sarah, it would be to finally tell her about his feelings for her and hopefully…to get her to break up with John. But now that he needed John's help, that plan was shot to hell. He couldn't very well ask for John's help after declaring his love for his girlfriend, now could he? No. He would just have to put it off. He was going to have to wait until this whole ordeal was over with before admitting his true feelings for her. Maybe it was for the best. There would be less of a chance of her getting hurt if he just kept his distance. He could do that? Couldn't he? It seemed that he couldn't, because as the thought left his mind, he found himself reaching down into his pocket and pulling out his phone before dialing Sarah's number. He just needed to talk to her, hear her voice. He knew that would settle his anxiety about this mess he had gotten himself into. His fingers drummed against the leather steering wheel as he waited for her to pick up. <em>"Hello?". <em>His heart began to beat rapidly against his chest upon hearing her voice.

"Hey you" he replied.

"_Stefan?". _

He chuckled softly, "The one and only".

"_What-where are you?" _she stuttered. It was evident that she was surprised to be even talking to him.

"Philadelphia. Finally found Katherine in New York. How are you? You okay?" he questioned.

"_I'm fine. What did Katherine say?". _

He smiled. He could feel her anxiousness through the phone. Then again, maybe it was his own. Who knew. "I'll tell you everything when I see you, which should be in a couple of hours".

"_What-you're coming to Paradise?". _

_Yes, I'm coming back to you. It's where I belong_, was the reply he wanted to say but he bit his tongue back.

"What, you thought I would just leave and you would never hear from me again?".

"_Of course not. I just wasn't expecting you back so soon, I mean you just left. How'd you find her so soon?". _

"Katherine can be easy to find when she wants to be" he replied. He cleared his throat, "Is John still with you?".

"_Yeah". _

"Good, I need him and Six to stay put until I get there".

_She hesitated for a moment, "Uh…alright, but why?". _

"I'll explain everything when I get there, just make sure they stay put, please?".

"_Yeah, okay. I can do that". _

"Thank you. Look, I'll be there in a few hours".

"_I can't wait". _He couldn't help but notice the eagerness in her voice. Was she just as anxious from being apart from him as he was from her?

"Me either" he replied, "I'll see you soon".

"Bye, Stefan". He snapped his phone shut and tossed it over on the passenger side. Almost instantly he began to regret hanging up. He thought about calling her back up just to keep his sanity but then a small voice in the back of his head reminded him that she was still with John. And the last thing he needed was another reason for John to dislike him even more than he already did.

* * *

><p>"My brother has completely lost it," Damon hissed.<p>

Elena looked at him worriedly and folded her arms across her chest, "What is it? What's wrong?".

Damon slammed his phone down on the mantle and turned around to face everyone, "Apparently Stefan stole Klaus' families' bodies!". Caroline, Bonnie, Jeremy, and Alaric, who were also in the living room, looked at one another.

"Please tell me you're kidding," the horror over what he said was plastered all of Elena's face.

"What do you mean 'apparently'?" Bonnie interjected.

"That was Katherine on the phone. She and Stefan have cooked up some little plan to get rid of Klaus once in for all" Damon explained.

Jeremy sat down on the arm of the couch next to Elena, clearly unimpressed, "What else is new?".

"Exactly," Damon spat, "Sometimes I wonder if my brother has an ounce of sense in this thick skull of his".

"Does Klaus know his family is gone?" Alaric inquired.

Damon shrugged, "Probably. The bastard knows everything. And you know what, that means he's going to come back here because he probably thinks that one of us did it. We're all screwed now, thanks to my dear brother".

Elena stood up, "But you said that they had a plan, what is it?".

"Something about using the ashes of the White Oak tree stake to make a new stake" he muttered as he made his way over make himself a drink.

"What?" Caroline exclaimed.

Damon nodded, "Katherine seems to think that by using Bonnie's witchy powers we will be able to regenerate a new stake," he glanced at Bonnie, "So is Katherine crazy or what? Is what she says possible?".

Bonnie shrugged, "I don't see why not. I'm sure there's a spell in the Grimoire to reassemble things".

Alaric looked over at Damon, "But why did Stefan steal Klaus' family?". Lately Stefan had been accustomed to being full of surprises, but seeing as how he was no longer tied to Klaus, this seemed like the last thing he would do, at least in Alaric's opinion.

Damon poured some whiskey in a glass, "He didn't".

Elena frowned, "But you just said he did".

He nodded, "I know but now that I think about it, my brother isn't stupid enough to pull a stunt like that. It would be too much of a risk for him. This has Katherine written all over it".

Caroline arched her eyebrow in surprise, "Katherine stole the bodies? But why would she do that? I thought the last thing she wanted was to be involved. She wanted far away from Klaus as possible".

Damon nodded, "I know, but seeing as Stefan kept me from killing Klaus, she needed to take her revenge another way".

"Revenge for murdering her family," Elena finished quietly.

Damon nodded again, "He took her family away, now she's going to do the same. But of course, Katherine being Katherine, needed someone to take the fall for it".

Caroline folded her arms across her chest and frowned, "But why would Stefan agree to it?".

"He wants revenge too?" Bonnie suggested.

"Stefan doesn't get revenge, he just broods in a corner thinking about revenge. Katherine had to of been holding something over his head".

Caroline nudged Bonnie, "Do you think Katherine knows about Sarah?" she whispered quietly.

Damon, being a vampire, heard this, "Sarah? The one that hangs out with aliens? Why would Katherine know about her?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"It's a long story," Elena replied before looking towards Damon, "Did Katherine say she had the ashes?".

Damon shook his head, "No. She wants _us_ to get them".

"Us? But we don't even know where the ashes are!".

"Katherine believes that Tyler Lockwood is safeguarding the ashes for Klaus".

Elena nodded, "So if Klaus is having Tyler keep the ashes safe, then it must be true about the stake being able to be regenerated".

"Or he just did as a safety measure and doesn't know that the stake can be regenerated" Jeremy suggested.

"Whatever the reason, we need to get the ashes. But how?" Elena wondered.

Caroline nodded in agreement, "We can't confront Tyler about them, that's for sure. He'd probably tell Klaus all about our snooping. We'll have to do it behind his back".

"Where would he keep them? Somewhere safe, but where?" Elena thought aloud.

Damon downed another drink, "We'll check all the usual places, his house, the old Lockwood property…".

"The well too, that's where Mason hid the moonstone," Caroline reminded.

"It shouldn't be that hard, Tyler's not that bright. He probably hid the ashes in his sock drawer," Damon mocked, earning a look of disapproval from Caroline.

"Okay, so what we need to do is start searching for the ashes. I say we start at Tyler's house".

"You guys go look for the ashes," Elena said, indicating Alaric, Jeremy, Damon, and Caroline, "Me and Bonnie will look for a spell".

Jeremy hopped off the couch, "Sound's good". He was just glad that Elena wasn't trying to force him to stay on the sidelines for this one. His gaze met Bonnie's briefly but she quickly looked away. He sighed and followed Ric out the door.

* * *

><p>Sarah had made it back to Paradise in the early hours of the morning and was currently back in her own bed. Her parents were livid, to say the least, when she came home, but seeing as how she got home rather early, they were both too tired to really chew her out. Unfortunately for her, the moment she woke up, instead of having a peaceful breakfast, was forced to partake in an interrogation by her parents. There was yelling, there was grounding, the usual stuff that went down when teenagers abruptly went AWOL.<p>

It was late afternoon now and she watched the sun set from her room. She still held tight to her phone in hopes that Stefan would call back again. She missed him terribly, a lot more that she would like to admit, seeing as how she was currently in a relationship. But it was hard not feeling the way she did, she had only been a part from Stefan for a short amount of time and already it felt like a lifetime. Her phone abruptly starting buzzing in her hand, causing her to nearly drop the thing. She pressed the phone up to her ear without seeing who was calling. "Hello?".

"_Sarah,". _It was John. John, Six, and Sam were staying at John's old house, which had been abandoned for quite some time.

"Hey, what's up….you aren't leaving already are you?" she asked worriedly, thinking back to what Stefan had asked of her.

John chuckled on the other side, _"No worries, I'm not leaving just yet". _

She sighed, "Good".

"_So what happened when I dropped you off? Your parents looked as if they were about to explode". _

"To make a long story short, I'm grounded".

"_So, coming over would be completely out of the question". _

She shook her head, "No my parents had promised to take my little brother to the movies so they'll be gone for a few hours. Me being grounded, I get to stay home".

"_Good cause I miss you. We haven't had any alone time at all". _

She smiled weakly, "I know. But look, Stefan called me". She couldn't sworn she heard him grind his teeth on the other side. _"What did he want?". _

"Actually he wanted to talk to you. You and Six, that is. He's on his way here".

"_Why does he want to talk to me and Six?"._

Sarah shrugged, "Beats me, but still come over with Six and Sam. Stefan should get here by tonight," she anxiously glanced over at her door, "Look, I really should go. My parents haven't left yet and I'm not supposed to be on the phone. I'll see you later?".

"_Yeah, okay. Bye". _

* * *

><p>"Me and Jeremy will look for the ashes in Tyler's house," Caroline stated as they pulled up in Ric's car in front of the Lockwood house, "It will look more suspicious if you and Damon come along," she said, her gaze on Ric.<p>

He nodded in agreement, "While you do that, we'll check the old Lockwood property". Jeremy and Caroline got out of the car and headed towards the front door as Ric pulled out of the driveway.

"I hope Tyler hasn't told his mother about us breaking up," Caroline said quietly to herself as she walked up the porch steps along side Jeremy.

"I doubt it," he replied before ringing the doorbell. They waited momentarily before the door opened to reveal Tyler's mother.

Caroline instantly plastered a broad smile on her face, "Mrs. Lockwood," she greeted, "How are you?".

She looked at them a little skeptically, "I'm fine….what are you two doing here?" she asked, her gaze fleeting to Jeremy briefly.

Caroline answered before Jeremy could speak, "Silly me, I actually I've misplaced my phone and I've been looking for it everywhere. I thought I might of left it here the last time I was here. Do you mind if we go inside and check?".

Carol looked at them with uncertainly before stepping back to let them in, "Okay, but try to be quick about it, I have a meeting here soon". Caroline and Jeremy nodded in understandment before quickly heading upstairs.

* * *

><p>Sarah stood in the middle of her backyard, her gaze on the sky with her camera up to her face as she snapped a few pictures of the full moon. She put her camera down when she heard rustling in the trees. She looked over at the trees by her house, involuntarily shivering. Just the wind, she told herself. She lifted her camera up again and snapped a few pictures of her mother's flowers that seemed to glow under the moonlight.<p>

"You know, you really shouldn't be out here all alone".

She whipped her head around only to find Stefan resting his hands on the white picket fence that surrounded their backyard. "Stefan.." she whispered, not hesitating in walking over to him, but momentarily stopping to put her camera on the table. She halted once she reached the edge of the fence that divided their backyard from the woods, her on one side, Stefan on the other. "I'd come and hug you but I'm not supposed to leave the area," she teased. He grinned and hoped over the fence within the blink of an eye and scooped her up in his arms, "Missed you".

"You're all in one piece" she commented, a sigh escaping her as her arms slipped around his neck, "That's good".

He arched his eyebrow and reluctantly set her down, "Were you worried?".

"Of course I was worried" she replied.

He smiled, _"Who's the worrywart now?". _She playfully glared at him. His smile fell and his expression turned serious again, "Were you able to keep John here?".

Sarah nodded, "He, Six, and Sam are inside eating pizza".

He frowned, "Where are your parents?".

"They went to dinner and a movie with my little brother. Since I'm grounded, I was excluded" she explained as she led him back over to the house.

"C'mon in," she said, noticing how he paused briefly before crossing the threshold into her house. She led him through the house towards the living room where John, Six, and Sam were watching television. She could hear Six's voice from the hallway. "I don't see how humans can sit around this box and stare at it for hours. All the programs on it are complete garbage". It didn't take a genius to know she was talking about the t.v.

Sarah walked into the living room with Stefan behind her and cleared her throat, garnering the attention of John, Six, and Sam, even Bernie. "Guys, you remember Stefan" Sarah said, her gaze fleeting to Stefan briefly. Six rolled her eyes from her place on the couch and grabbed another slice of pizza from the box in front of her, "Oh joy. The vampire's back".

John stood up and folded his arms across his chest, "Sarah said you wanted to talk to us?".

Stefan nodded, "Yes…I need your help".

Six snorted and pushed herself off the couch and turned around, "Well you sure aren't getting it parasite".

"Help you with what?" John questioned, ignoring Six's comment.

"We need your help in defeating a powerful hybrid named Klaus".

"Why should they help you?" Sam asked.

"I'm willing to make a deal. One of the girl's you met last night was a powerful witch. She could easily do a locator spell to find the others like you. If you agreed to help us out, I'll get her to do the spell".

"We're currently looking to regenerate the stake to kill him with, we have an idea of where it's at, so that's not a problem. We just need you to stake him with it".

Six folded her arms across her chest, "Why don't you do it yourself, then?".

"If a vampire were to kill Klaus, he would die along with him. Besides, Klaus doesn't know you guys exist, he's expecting that one of us try and make a move, but he wouldn't even see you coming. We need every edge that we can get. We've tried killing him numerous times but something always went wrong. But if we had you, it would be our best bet at getting rid of him for good" Stefan explained.

"I think you guys should do it," Sam said to John and Six.

"When hell freezes over," Six spat before heading into the kitchen. John and Sam looked at each other briefly before following her while Stefan and Sarah waited in the living room.

"Did you hear what he just offered?" John said to Six once they were in the kitchen, "If we help them defeat that Klaus guy, they will help us find the other Loriens just by using a spell! Do you realize how much time that will save us?".

Six still shook her head, "I do not trust him, John. I have a bad feeling about this whole thing. We should not be getting mixed into their affairs. Klaus is _their_ problem, let _them_ take care of it".

Someone cleared their throat and John and Six turned around to find that it was Stefan.

"Look, Klaus has killed countless innocent people in his lifetime. If we don't do something to stop him, more people are just going to end up dead. I betrayed him so I'm going to be the first one he goes after. And you know who he'll go after next? Everyone I've ever cared about…even _Sarah_". John's jaw tightened. "You guys are the only chance we have in destroying him for good"

John and Six looked at each other.

Six sighed in frustration and turned to Stefan, "Fine. We'll help. But if you betray us in anyway, I'll rip your balls off".

* * *

><p>"Did you find a spell?" Elena asked Bonnie as she put down a Grimoire, again empty handed. Her and Bonnie were now in Bonnie's living room, huddled around the coffee table, the two of them riffling through Grimoires .<p>

Bonnie nodded and pointed to a bunch of Latin in her book, "Yeah, from what I read of this spell, it should do exactly what we need it to. I just hope it works on something as old and powerful as the White Oak Stake". Elena nodded in agreement and began to stretch.

"But look what else I found," Bonnie stated, flipping a few pages back in the Grimoire. It was a spell Emily did back in 1864. Look-" She pointed out a bunch of Latin to Elena, but one word seemed to be in English.

"_Reincarnation_" Elena repeated before looking to Bonnie.

Bonnie nodded, "Emily did a Reincarnation spell back in 1864".

"And?".

"Remember what I told you, about Sarah and Stefan? 1864 was the first time Stefan and Sarah ever met. Sarah's been constantly reincarnated since then. What if Emily was the reason why?".

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><p><strong>AN: Review please!<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: First off, just wanted to thank all of you that reviewed! You are all awesome. And second off, sorry for not updating in such a long time. January is always pretty hectic for me. I have Finals, projects due, rehearsals, dance shows, so much is going on that I've barely had time to sleep! Thank goodness things are lightening up...only problem is that with all the stress came sickness. So now I've got an icky cold which is no fun. But thankfully, I've gotten some time to write. I apologize in advance for this chapter if it sucks, I was distracted with the Golden Globes and hopped up on cold medicine when I wrote this, which isn't a good combination. lol So again sorry for the delay! Read. Enjoy. Review! (please!) =] **

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><p>"You think Emily put a spell on Sarah? But why would she do that?" Elena questioned, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.<p>

Bonnie shrugged as she pushed herself off the floor, "Maybe Sarah was a friend of Emily's back in 1864…I don't know, but it seems as though all of this is…".

Elena's phone starting vibrating against the coffee table and she immediately picked it up, "Caroline, did you find the ashes?".

Caroline sighed in frustration on the other line, "No! We've looked everywhere. They're not in the house".

Elena nodded, "Okay, then maybe Alaric and Damon-," a beep signaled that she had another incoming call, "Hold on Caroline," Elena said quickly, switching over to her other line, "Hello?".

"Found the ashes, meet us back at the house" Damon's voice came before quickly hanging up. Elena reverted back to Caroline, "Care, that was Damon. He and Alaric found the ashes, meet at the boarding house". Caroline grumbled something about Damon before hanging up. Elena looked to Bonnie and they both headed out the door.

* * *

><p>Caroline, Jeremy, Elena, and Bonnie waited patiently at the Boarding house for Damon and Alaric to return. "Did Damon say where the ashes were?" Jeremy asked Elena as he plopped down on the couch next to Caroline.<p>

Elena shook her head, "Nope".

"Did you guys find a spell to regenerate the stake?" Caroline asked.

Bonnie nodded and lifted up the Grimoire currently in her lap, "I have a spell, but I'm not sure it will work on something as old and powerful as a White Oak stake".

Caroline folded her arms across her chest and pouted, "Everyone found something but us" she grumbled, her gaze fleeting over to Jeremy. The front door suddenly burst opened and everyone turned around.

"Tyler pulled a Mason", Damon announced as he sauntered into the living room, Alaric behind him.

Elena frowned, "Huh?".

Damon's let out an exasperated sigh as he tossed Elena a vile that seemed to be filled with ashes, "They were at the bottom of the well by the Lockwood property. The same well where Mason hid the moonstone. Told you the kid is really not bright".

Elena looked at the contents of the vile carefully before glancing back at Damon, "I'm guessing the well was still filled with vervain".

"That explains why Ric's all wet," Bonnie commented, clearly amused as she took in Alaric's soaked jeans. Alaric turned red and shifted uncomfortably. Damon abruptly took the vile out of Elena's hand and gave it to Bonnie, "Go on now, do your witchy thing, make those ashes turn back into a stake".

Bonnie arched her eyebrow, "How about a _please_ after that sentence?".

Damon rolled his eyes and sighed, "_Please_?".

Elena pulled her phone out of her back pocket and scrolled through her contacts, "I'll call Stefan, let him know that we have the ashes".

* * *

><p>"We found the ashes" Elena stated once she heard Stefan pick up his phone "That's great, were they easy to find?" he questioned.<p>

Elena nodded, her gaze drifting over to where Alaric and Damon were, Alaric now wearing a pair of Damon's jeans while his others dried, "Damon and Alaric found them in the well where Mason had hidden the moonstone from Katherine". Stefan stayed silent.

Elena noticed this, "What's wrong?".

"Finding the ashes, it was too easy…." he murmured.

Elena nodded in agreement, "It makes me think that maybe Klaus anticipated this, maybe he wanted us to find the ashes".

"That or he just put his faith in the wrong hybrid. Maybe Tyler purposely hid it in a spot where we would easily find it".

"You think Tyler would do that?".

"It's a possibility, I mean Klaus is the reason he can't be with Caroline and that's all that he really wants, right?".

Elena nodded and looked over at where Caroline was, "Whatever the reason, we need to be prepared. Klaus always seems to be one step ahead of us".

"I don't think he will be this time around," Stefan replied, "Is Bonnie with you?".

She nodded, "Yeah, why?".

"Can you put her on the line? I need to talk to her".

Elena nodded, "Sure, hold on".

Stefan walked out of Sarah's kitchen and headed out into the backyard as he waited for Bonnie to be put on the phone. There was murmuring for a short moment before he finally heard Bonnie's voice.

"What's up?" she asked, she seemed to be out of breath.

He noticed this, "What's wrong? Are you okay?".

Bonnie nodded, "Regenerating the stake is taking longer than I had anticipated but it's coming along, slowly but surely" she reassured.

Stefan cleared his throat, "That's good…but there's something else I need your help with". "What is it?". There was hesitancy in her voice.

"I need you to cast a locator spell" he replied.

"A locator spell? To find what?".

He glanced back at the back porch and turned back around, "I made a deal with John. I said I could get you to cast a locator spell to find the other Loriens in exchange for his help in killing Klaus" he explained.

"Why did you bring them into this?".

"Once we have the stake, someone needs to kill Klaus with it. They would be the last ones Klaus would suspect to come at him seeing as we're already his number one suspects. We've tried to kill him more than once already. Besides I don't even think Klaus knows that aliens even exist".

"So basically you only brought them into this so that they would do the dirty work for us?".

Stefan nodded, "Essentially, yes".

"That sounds like a very Katherine thing of you to say".

"Usually I would take that as an insult, but right now it's the only plan where none of us have a chance of getting hurt".

"Except for John and Six" she pointed out.

"Better them than any of us, right?" he countered.

"….True….but how am I supposed to find the rest of the Loriens? I have nothing to go on. I don't know what they look like, I don't know their names, how do you expect me to locate these people? I usually need _something_ to go off of".

"I'm sure John and Six have something that you can use to help you out".

"You better hope so because if they don't then I can't….Hey!".

"What's wrong?" Stefan asked worriedly. He could hear fussing on the other line.

"Nothing's wrong little brother. But would you mind telling me when we all decided to bring your blonde gal pal's alien buddies in on this?" Damon demanded.

Stefan rolled his eyes, "_We_ didn't decide anything, it was my decision, Damon".

"Why would you want to bring them in on this?".

"We need their help, Damon" Stefan replied.

Damon snorted, "Says who? Besides how do we know that they won't they won't turn on us? It wasn't that long ago when they were trying to kill us Stefan".

"I made a deal with them, they won't try and hurt us". "Says you, why do we even need to bring them in this? We have the ashes, if Bonnie would just _hurry up and regenerate it into a stake already…" _Stefan could hear Bonnie throw a curse at Damon in the background.

"Look, unless you want to be the one to stake Klaus, then go right on ahead. But of course, then you'll die. If we have the Loriens do it, then none of us risk getting killed. It's a good plan, Damon. Klaus won't know what hit him. He'll be expecting something from us. But not from them. Not from aliens. And who knows, maybe with their added abilities they could actually destroy Klaus without even using the stake".

"I'm guessing this is another one of Katherine's schemes, because this has her name written all over it".

Stefan shrugged, "So what if it is?".

"Why the hell are you putting all your faith in a plan that Katherine cooked up? She hates us, remember".

"Actually, she just hates you. Last time I checked, she was still in love with me".

Stefan could practically see his brother smirking on the other line, "Ouch, brother".

Stefan sighed, "Just go with the plan Damon, I mean, unless you have any better ideas?". Damon stayed silent.

"That's what I thought. Look, we'll be back in Mystic Falls as soon as we can. Call me if anything happens".

"Fine".

"This is a good plan, Damon. Admit it".

"Whatever" Damon muttered before hanging up.

* * *

><p>Stefan smiled and turned around to head back inside only to find John standing on the back porch, watching him. Stefan shoved his phone back into his back pocket and walked over to him, "Thank you, again, for doing this".<p>

"I'm not doing for you, I'm doing this for Sarah. She cares about you…a lot more than I'd like to admit" he said that last part under his breath but Stefan heard him perfectly. Stefan stayed quiet.

John looked over at Stefan, "I love her, you know…a lot".

Stefan nodded, "I know".

John stepped down from the porch, "I also know that you love her too".

Again, Stefan nodded, "I do".

John's hands curled up into fists at his sides, "That's a problem".

Stefan shrugged, "I guess it is".

"Don't think that I'm just going to let you steal her away from me".

"Who she wants to be with is her choice, John. Whomever she chooses to be with, the other will just have to respect it and move on".

John arched his eyebrow, "So you're saying that if she chose me over you, you would just not fight for her?".

Stefan nodded, "If you make her happy and you're the one she wants to be with, I'd just have to accept it. So in answer to your question, yes".

John shook his head, "I don't believe a word you just said".

"Fine, you caught me. If she were to chose you over me, I wouldn't take it lying down. I would fight like hell for her".

"At least now you're being honest" John responded.

Stefan was about to respond when his phone started buzzing in his back pocket. He pulled it out and glanced at his phone screen and read the text message he received. It was from Katherine. He swore under his breath. "What's wrong?" John asked. Stefan shook his head and walked away from him. He quickly dialed her number and pressed his phone up to her ear. He waited until he heard her pick up. "What do you mean you're moving the bodies?" he demanded, glancing over his shoulder briefly to find that John was heading back inside.

"Well, hello to you too, Stefan. And don't get your boxers in a bunch, I had to. I ran into a fucking hybrid".

"_What?". _

"Don't worry, I took care of the bastard easily but obviously Klaus knows I'm in New York, why else would one of his pets be here?".

He pursed his lips, "Where are the bodies now, Katherine?".

"On their way to Paradise, I just sent you the location coordinates".

"What? Why the hell would you bring them here?" he exclaimed.

"Coffins need to stay with you, Stefan. How else are you going to lure Klaus back to Mystic Falls?" she retorted.

"And what are you going to do?".

Katherine smirked, "I'm going to do what I do best".

"Run away like a coward?".

"Mock me if you will, Stefan, but it's kept me alive all these years".

"Don't you even want to see Klaus die?".

"Nah, you can fill me in on the details after he's dead. In the meantime, I'll be in Paris, _Au_ _revoir_, Stefan".

* * *

><p>Stefan snapped his phone shut and shoved it into his back pocket before heading back inside. He walked back into the living room to find everyone standing around.<p>

"Everything alright?" Sarah asked him. He nodded his head, his gaze fleeting over to John, as he wondered if he had told Sarah about what they had talked about. "We should hit the road" Six stated.

Sarah nodded in agreement and glanced back at the clock on the wall, "My family will be back at any minute".

"I'll meet you guys there" Stefan said.

John stopped, "Wait, you're not coming with us?" he asked, his heated gaze on Stefan.

"Change of plans, I need to wait here until some _packages_ arrive. As soon as they do, I'll be on my way to Mystic Falls".

"I am not leaving you two alone," John said through gritted teeth.

Sarah raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Don't you trust me?".

John sighed, "Of course I do," his gaze moved over to Stefan, "It's him I don't trust".

Stefan ignored his comment, "Once you get there, Bonnie will be able to cast the spell to help you find the other Loriens. We have the stake to kill Klaus with us so it's only the matter of luring him back to Mystic Falls".

Six slipped her jacket back on, "And how do you intend on doing that?".

"I have something he wants and he'll do anything to get them back" Stefan said cryptically. John and Six looked at each other briefly before Six just rolled her eyes, "Let's just go on and get this over with" she muttered as she headed for the door. Sarah opened the door as Six sauntered past her, Sam on her heels. John stopped in the doorway and looked over to Sarah.

He leaned down and kissed her softly, "I'll see you later".

She nodded, "Bye, John. Be careful".

John nodded and briefly looked over to Stefan before reluctantly heading out the door. Stefan watched as Sarah closed the door behind them before looking to him expectantly. "You still haven't told me what Katherine told you back in New York" she reminded him as she walked past him and headed upstairs. Stefan sighed before following her upstairs and up into her room. As soon as he closed Sarah's door behind him, he began telling her everything that he had learned from Katherine. When he finished, Sarah was staring at him with a look of surprise and disbelief, mixed with a lot of other emotions.

Sarah sat down on her bed, "So she's been finding you and compelling you this entire time? That's why you didn't remember any of it?".

He nodded and sat down next to her, "And you know how you dreamt that Katherine killed you? Well your subconscious must have been warning you or something because she's been killing you in your past lives. She was the reason you died in that car accident in 1943".

"God, she really hates me, doesn't she?".

Stefan nodded, "Katherine doesn't take rejection lightly. Although she isn't the only one to blame for your past deaths….".

"I already know about Chicago, remember?".

"That wasn't the only time I've killed you, Sarah".

She pursed her lips, "Oh".

"1889 in Nashville and then again in St. Louis in 1904" he murmured, his head downcast.

"If it makes you feel better, I forgive you" she said lightly, hoping to wipe the melancholy look off his face. "But after I stopped being a Ripper, I never harmed you again. Katherine was the one who kept killing you".

"You shouldn't of gone after Katherine," she said quietly, "I think we both would've been better off knowing any of this".

"One good thing came out of me visiting her".

She looked at him, "What's that?".

He smiled weakly, "I got my memories back".

She stared at him with wide eyes, "But how?".

"I made a deal with Katherine".

She frowned, "A deal? What kind of deal?".

"Katherine stole Klaus' family and wanted me to take the fall for it. She said that if I would do that she wouldn't lay another hand on you for the rest of eternity and I would get my memories back".

Sarah slugged him in the arm with all her might, even though it ended up hurting her more than him, "Stefan, you should've of done it!".

"I had to, Sarah. She threatened your life, as well as those you care about. If I hadn't of agreed she would've killed you…again. I wasn't about to let that happen, no matter what the cost". She looked at him sympathetically. Stefan could hear the soft click of Sarah's front door being unlocked downstairs. "Your family's home," he said quietly before getting off her bed. She groaned softly and quickly hopped off her bed.

Stefan glanced at her alarm clock, "I should get going, the Klaus' family should be arriving at any minute".

"Where are you keeping them?".

"There's a steel plant that's abandoned, but they won't stay there for long, as soon as I get another truck, I'll move the coffins".

Sarah bit her lip, "Are you going to head back to Mystic Falls as soon as you do?". Stefan nodded.

"Is there any chance that you'll agree to me coming with you?".

Stefan looked at her and shook his head, "No. It's too risky. If something were to go wrong…Klaus can't find out about you. He can't have leverage over me. I can't lose you".

"Stefan, you're not going to-".

"I'm sorry, Sarah. But rest assured as soon as this whole ordeal is over and I know you are completely safe. I will come back for you, I promise".

"I've heard those words before," she muttered, thinking back to her memory of him leaving her to go to war.

Stefan stepped closer to her and touched her cheek, "Sarah, I love you, I'm not just going to abandon you".

She stared at him with wide eyes, "What?".

He brushed his thumb across her cheek and he felt her shiver as if it was his own, "I love you. Always have, always will. And believe me when I say that being apart from you is probably the most excruciating feeling I have ever known". He dropped his hand from her face and took her hand in his before placing it over his chest. "Or in other words, _I sometimes have a queer feeling with regard to you-especially when you are near me, as now: it is as if I had a string somewhere under my left ribs, tightly and inextricably knotted to a similar string situated in the corresponding quarter of your little frame. And if that boisterous channel, and two hundred miles or so of land come broad between us, I am afraid that cord of communion will be snapt; and then I've a nervous notion I should take to bleeding inwardly.". _

"_Jane Eyre_," she whispered, a smile creeping onto her face.

He nodded and touched his forehead against hers, "Your favorite if I remember correctly".

"Stefan, I-".

Stefan straightened up, "Your mother's heading up the stairs," he whispered, "We'll have to take up this conversation when I get back".

He leaned down and kissed her forehead, "Sleep well angel".

"But I-".

She blinked and suddenly she was alone. She sighed in frustration, "What I was trying to say was that I love you" she whispered. Her door abruptly opened and she nearly jumped. She quickly spun around, her face flushed as she met her mother's gaze. "Hey you," her mother greeted, a slightly suspicious look on her face as she opened Sarah's door all the way, "Everything okay?".

Sarah nodded quickly, "How was the movie?".

Her mother stared at her, her eyes still narrowed, "It was good. Are you sure you're okay?". "I'm fine" she reassured.

Her mother nodded, "Okay, well I just wanted to say good-night".

Sarah nodded and watched as she started closing her door, "Night, Mom".

Sarah finally exhaled when her mother left. _Boy, that was a close one, she thought to herself as she walked over to her dresser to get ready for bed. _

Once she settled in her bed, her mind began reeling over what just happened with her and Stefan. _He loves me, she kept on saying over and over in her head. _And she loved him. Yes, she was inlove with him. She had been for days, she realized this now. Just thinking about how much she loved him put a smile on her face. But then she thought of John and her smile faded. What was she going to do? _You're going to break up with him, that's what you're going to do, a small voice told herself. _After finally admitting to herself that she was indeed in love with Stefan, that was the thing to do, wasn't it? She didn't want to hurt John but she couldn't be with him any longer. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. She most definitely wasn't going to be able to sleep tonight, not until all of this was settled…

* * *

><p>"Do you think this will work?" Elena asked Bonnie as they headed up to the old Witch house that was on the outskirts of Mystic Falls. It was early morning and the sun was still fairly low in the sky. Bonnie shrugged as they crossed the threshold of the house, the old wood paneling creaking under her feet, "The witches are still pretty pissed that I brought back Jeremy and upset the balance of nature, but maybe Emily will be willing to answer a few questions".<p>

"It's worth a shot," Elena replied as she followed Bonnie down into the basement. Once they entered the basement, Elena set up some candles around the room. When she finished, Bonnie lit them all with a wave of her hand.

Elena took a deep breath, "Ready?". Bonnie nodded and shut her eyes before she started chanting in a foreign language. The flames of the candles around them flickered and burned brighter than before as Bonnie's chanting went on. Elena watched Bonnie closely when she stopped chanting and her expression changed.

"Bonnie?" Elena whispered.

Bonnie didn't reply.

"Bonnie?" she asked again, worrying that something was wrong. Bonnie put a finger to her lips, silencing her.

"Emily" she whispered before blacking out.

_Emily's memories, 1864. _

_Emily walked through the gardens along side Katherine. "The siege on the vampires will take place after sundown. I heard Giuseppe Salvatore speaking of it with Mr. Gilbert earlier today" she stated. _

"_Good to know, by the end of the night I will be dead…again" Katherine said with a chuckle. _

"_Are you sure you know what you're doing, Miss Katherine?". _

_Katherine nodded and knelt down to smell a rose, "Tonight when the Founders round up the vampires in town to burn in Fell's Church, I will be there in that church also". _

_Emily frowned, "I'm afraid I do not understand…"_

"_George Lockwood and I struck a deal. I would give him something he wants and he in return would help me fake my death. He will 'capture' me and toss me into the church himself, but what the others don't know is that he will also be the one to help me escape"._

"_So you want the town to think you died in the church…but what about the Salvatore brothers? Did you not want to turn them?". _

"_They both have my blood in their system, once I have escaped the churches' flames, I will kill them. Then it will be happily ever after for all of us"._

"_What about Miss Emerson?" she almost regretted bringing her name up as she saw Miss Katherine's expression. _

_Katherine's smile faded, "I love Stefan and we were meant to be together. I will do whatever I have to, to ensure that, even if that means killing that little blonde he's so infatuated with right now". _

_Emily pursed her lips, "But if Miss Emerson is the one he wishes to be with, then shouldn't you respect his wishes?". _

_Katherine arched her eyebrow in surprise, "What was that?"._

"_Nothing, m'lady" Emily said softly, bowing her head down. _

"_That's what I thought. By the end of the night, Miss Emerson will be dead and everything will be as it should," Katherine yawned, "I grow dreary of this conversation, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go upstairs and play with Stefan for a few hours"._

_Emily watched as Katherine headed back inside the Salvatore household. She knew that whenever Miss Katherine said, 'play', especially when talking about Stefan, what she really meant was compel. It was a sad thing to see, Miss Katherine toying with Stefan's mind just so she could get him to love her, when in reality she knew, that Stefan's heart and soul belonged to Miss Emerson. The even sadder thing of it was that both of them would die tonight, both by Katherine's hand, except only one would come back. She glanced up at the sky and sighed. She could not let Miss Katherine destroy their lives, at least, not completely. She looked around the estate to ensure she was alone before heading off into the woods. She was going to need to consult her Grimoire for what she planned to do next…_

_A few hours later…_

"_Vampires!"_

"_Killers!"_

"_Demons!". _

"_It has begun" Emily commented, her gaze on the church that was now ablaze as a growing crowd with torches looked on. Emily retreated back into the trees with her brother before heading towards the main road. They traveled along the road before stopping when they saw two lone bodies sprawled across the earth. Her brother ran ahead of her to see who the bodies were of, but she didn't need him to tell her, she already knew whose bodies lay there. She hurried over to where the bodies were and knelt down beside the one closest to her. It was Stefan. She touched the side of his neck. He was ice cold, long dead. _

"_We'll take them to the quarry" she whispered, her gaze on her brother. He nodded and hoisted Damon up over his shoulder. Emily looked over at Stefan sympathetically before allowing her brother to hoist him up as well. She watched as her brother continued down the road with the Salvatore's. She stepped forward but stepped on something. She looked down to see a delicate white rose at her feet. She picked it up and looked at it. What was once pure, was now tainted with blood. She looked at it sadly before putting the flower in her pocket and hurriedly moving to catch up with her brother. _

"_What are you doing?" her brother asked her as she lit some candles around the small room they were in. They were at the quarry now, the Salvatore brother's bodies safe in the shack they were currently standing in. _

"_Trying to make right of a tragedy," she replied once she finished lighting the candles. She walked over to the small table where she had a concoction brewing in a pot. She could feel her brother's gaze heavy on her as she pulled out Stefan's flower from her pocket and dropped it into the pot. _

"_What is this all about, sister?" her brother demanded. He was not a witch himself and did not understand the supernatural as she did. _

"_I was given these powers to do good, and that is exactly what I'm doing, brother" she glanced over at Stefan's limp body in the corner, "They did not deserve the end they got". Her brother opened his mouth to say something more but held his tongue as she began chanting in a foreign tongue. _

"_Bonnie!"._

"Bonnie!".

Bonnie opened her eyes to find Elena hovering over her, her eyes wide, "Thank god! What happened?".

Elena helped her into a sitting position, "You passed out. Are you okay? You hit the floor pretty hard".

Bonnie nodded and rubbed the side of her head.

"What happened? What did Emily do?" Elena asked.

"She possessed me…kind of. I don't know…she…it was like she showed me her memories". Elena frowned, "Why would she do that?".

"To give us the answers we had been looking for," Bonnie explained as she pushed herself off the floor, "I was right, she's the reason Sarah's been reincarnated so many times. She cast a spell that ensured that Sarah would never truly die. She would just be reincarnated. She knew with Stefan becoming a vampire and living forever, it would be the only way for them to be together again. She just wanted to help them".

"The same can't be said for Katherine," Elena muttered as she helped Bonnie up, "You sure you're alright?".

Bonnie nodded, "Just a headache. But I'll be fine".

"Still, let's get you home so you can rest". Bonnie nodded in agreement before following Elena back upstairs. They hurriedly walked through the house and down the front porch steps when Bonnie abruptly stopped. "What is it?" Elena asked, looking over at her. "Something doesn't feel right" she murmured. Bonnie turned around and gasped, Elena did the same thing. Klaus was standing there, right behind them. He smiled at them both.

"Hello, love".

* * *

><p><strong>AN: That italicized paragraph that Stefan says to Sarah is out of Jane Eyre, just so we're clear. I didn't write it. lol I love the book and the recent movie adaptation of it. And for some reason I just really love that little monologue that Mr. Rochester says to Jane, so I just had Stefan say it to Sarah Anyways, I'm rambling... Reviews would be amazing!<strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Thanks again to those who reviewed! Sorry it's taking me so long to update, but like I said before, January is super hectic for me. Anyways, I hate to say it but this story is winding down. I wasn't going to make this story as long as my previous one. I think I have one or two more chapters left in this story, sad, I know. =(. But in brighter news, I already have my next story lined up, with my favorite pairing. EVER. But more on that later! Promise. So, read. enjoy. review, please!**

* * *

><p>"<em>Hello, love". <em>

Elena swallowed hard, her heart now beating rapidly against her chest, "Klaus".

His mouth turned up into a pronounced smirk, "Hello, Elena," he turned his gaze over to Bonnie, "Hello, Bonnie". She merely glared at him.

Elena folded her arms across her chest, "What do you want, Klaus?". His smirk disappeared as he stepped towards the two girls, "It seems that your ex-boyfriend has stolen my family. What I want is simple…my family back".

"We haven't seen or talked to Stefan since Homecoming," Bonnie interjected, "We had no idea he stole your family".

"Is that right," he chuckled, "You know you two were never one for lying".

Elena shrugged, "Believe what you want, Klaus, it's the truth".

"Sweet Elena, I admire your gallantry, seeing as how you are lying to my face when I know for a fact that you indeed have been in contact with Stefan since the events of Homecoming". Elena and Bonnie exchanged a brief glance. Klaus moved so that he was inches away from Elena's face, in which she had to fight against the instinctive urge to take a step back. "Whatever you and your little Scooby gang are cooking up, you might as well forget about it. Need I remind you that every time you've tried to kill me, which inevitably irritates me even more I might add, that you fail? Do yourselves a favor and back down, otherwise you will have hell to pay. I've already been forgiving enough".

He sharply turned his gaze to Bonnie, "You will see to it that Stefan knows I'm back in town. Tell him that if he doesn't return my family to me by nightfall and meets me in the woods outside of town, I will rip this bloody town apart, starting with his dearest love".

He looked back at Elena, "As soon as I get what I want and everyone behaves themselves, you can go on to living your little lives however you choose but until I get my family back, I think I'll take you along as collateral".

Bonnie's eyes widened, "What? No!". But before she had the chance to say anything more, Klaus had already disappeared with Elena.

* * *

><p>Sarah woke up early that morning, a bad feeling arising in the pit of her stomach. She was really starting to regret allowing Stefan to leave in the first place. She should've gone after him, she realized that now. Only now it was too late, she thought to herself as she pushed herself into an upright position. Something bad was going to happen, or someone was going to get hurt. Either way, she wasn't just going to sit her and worry. She could help them, she knew she could. But she couldn't help them by being stuck here. She reached over to her nightstand and picked up her phone before dialing a familiar number. She quickly got out of bed as she patiently waited for the other line to pick up.<p>

"_Hello?" _a groggy voice finally answered on the third ring.

"Mark, it's Sarah. I need your help".

* * *

><p>Stefan sauntered into the boarding house shortly after hiding the coffins in a safe place. Upon entering the living room, he realized that John, Six, and Sam were already there. Caroline was also there with them. John stood up when he noticed Stefan enter the room, "What the hell took you so long?" he demanded.<p>

Stefan snorted, "Hello to you too, John. Take it you found the house without trouble".

"We arrived last night and spent the night here, your brother let us in, hope that's alright".

Stefan shrugged, "Not at all. Did Bonnie help you with the locator spell?".

John nodded and help up a piece of paper that seemed to have multiple coordinates on it, "She says she'll have to do the spell again later to ensure that the coordinates haven't changed".

"You know us, always on the move" Six said dryly, her gaze drifting over to the White Oak Stake that was lying on the table next to Stefan. "So this," Six picked up the stake, "is what we're supposed to use to kill this Original Hybrid?".

Stefan nodded, "The White Oak Stake, the only thing in existence powerful enough to kill Klaus".

"That is so cool," Sam whispered as he took it out of Six's hands and began wielding it around like a sword. "Take that, Klaus!" he exclaimed as he lunged forward and jabbed it through the air. Both John and Six rolled their eyes at Sam's dorkiness while Caroline stifled achuckle. Stefan looked around, "Where are Bonnie and Elena?".

Caroline shrugged, "They said they had something to do this morning. But now that I think about it, they should've been back already…".

Just as she finished her sentence, the front door flew open with a bang as Damon crossed the threshold with Bonnie on his heels. "Alright, it's go time. Where's that stake, it's time to kill Klaus" Damon said, his blue eyes wild with anger.

"What happened?" Caroline asked, looking to Bonnie.

"Klaus kidnapped Elena," Bonnie explained.

"_What?". _

"We were over at the Witch house and ran into Klaus. He took Elena but let me leave. He wanted me to give a message to Stefan," she said, her gaze fleeting to meet Stefan, "He wants his family back, Stefan. And now, otherwise he's going to hurt Elena and tear the town apart".

Stefan frowned, "How does he know that I have his family?".

Bonnie shrugged, "He just said he did. But you have to give him his family back now".

"He's not going to hurt Elena," Stefan reassured, "He needs her blood for the hybrids. He's not going to kill her".

"That doesn't mean he can't rough her up. She's been through enough already, the last thing she needs is to get tortured by Klaus. We need to get her back, ASAP".

"Where were you when this happened?" Stefan inquired, turning his attention over to Damon.

"At the Grill getting drunk, where else?".

"I'm surprised you came here first, I would've thought that you would immediately gone gallivanting off to save Elena already".

Damon snorted, "Yeah, right. Not without this at least," he muttered before snatching the White Oak Stake out of Sam's hands.

"Don't be stupid, Damon. We need to finalize our plan before we go after Klaus" Bonnie chastised.

Damon rolled his eyes, "I'm only joking, I'm not going to be the one who blows this".

Caroline arched her eyebrow in surprise, "Are you implying that someone else will?".

Damon walked over to where he kept the alcohol before throwing the Stake to Stefan, "Based on our track record of _failed_ attempts on Klaus' life? Yes".

"How do you stay so positive all the time?" Six said sarcastically. Damon just smirked at her. "But seriously, what are we going to do? We can't just leave Elena with Klaus".

"Simple, I call up Klaus, organize a trade off, he gives me Elena, I give him his family back. As soon as Elena's safe, Six and John will come up when Klaus least expects it and stake him" Stefan explained as he twirled the Stake in his hand.

* * *

><p>"So explain to me again why I'm driving you all the way to Virginia this early in the morning?" Mark asked, his hair still partly ruffed with bed hair. He looked to Sarah who was in the passenger seat, demanding an answer.<p>

"It's complicated," Sarah muttered, her gaze on the map in her lap, thankfully they weren't that far away from Mystic Falls.

"Yeah, you said that much before. But seriously, Sarah, you need to tell me what's going on, otherwise I'm pulling over".

"We're in the middle of a freeway!" she exclaimed.

"Sarah, what's going on?" he asked again.

She sighed, "If I tell you, you're never going to believe me,".

He chuckled, "After everything I've seen, I highly doubt that".

She leaned forward and turned down the radio, "Okay, but remember you asked for it".

About an hour later, she finished telling him the whole story. She sighed and turned to look at him, to find that his crystal blue eyes were wide in shock as he stared at her. She noticed the car was drifting off towards the side of the line, "Mark, the road!". Mark quickly moved back into the center of the lane and kept his focus there.

He glanced over at her briefly, "Holy shit, Sarah. Are you kidding me? Please tell me that was just some incredibly well made up story".

Sarah chuckled, "I wish I had that kind of imagination".

"So Stefan really is a vampire…I knew it" he mumbled to himself. She just shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"So does John know you're banging Salvatore?" Mark inquired.

She stared at him, her mouth agape, "I am not _banging _anyone! Jesus, Mark, you're such a…you're such a _guy_".

He chuckled, "Ouch, what an insult".

She glared at him, "Look, the only reason I asked you is because you're the only friend I have left in Paradise. That, and you have a car which I kind of needed".

"You could've just taken your parent's car. Wait, do they know you left town _again_? To help your vampire lover and alien boyfriend to destroy a old Hybrid?".

"No, I didn't exactly write all that in the note I left. I'll probably be grounded for the rest of the school year but I don't care".

"Sarah Hart, who knew you were such a rebel? Salvatore's really brought out the bad girl in you," he joked.

She ignored his comment, "Shut up, Mark and just drive".

"Yes, _Miss Daisy" _he said in an elderly man voice.

She shook her head in disbelief, "Don't even go there, Mark".

* * *

><p>Sarah's heart began pounding against her chest as Mark pulled up to the Salvatore Boarding house a few hours later. Thankfully before she had left, she got Caroline's phone number and had texted her, asking what Stefan's address was. She wondered as she got out of Mark's car, if Caroline had told Stefan about her coming to Mystic Falls…or if she had told John. She all but ran up to the door with Mark jogging up behind her. She noticed the door was partly opened and decided to allow herself inside. "Jeez Sarah, way to come to someone's house unannounced and uninvited" Mark whispered as he closed the door behind him, "I mean this house does belong to vampires!". Sarah rolled her eyes at him as she walked into the parlor.<p>

"Stefan?" she called out, her voice echoing against the walls. The house was seemingly empty.

"Shh, Sarah! Maybe they're all asleep in their coffins!" Mark hissed.

"They're not those kind of vampires, Mark. Really, you watch too many movies".

Stefan had just come from the basement to retrieve some blood bags from the refrigerator when he heard what sounded like Sarah's voice in the parlor. _Impossible, he thought to himself. You're probably just hallucinating. You miss her is all… _He walked down the hall and stopped when her scent filled his nose like a breath of fresh air. Could it…was it possible that she actually was here? He quickly put down the blood bag he had in hand and blurred into the parlor. He stopped upon seeing her, "_Sarah?". _She jumped slightly, as did Mark before they both turned around. Without warning, she immediately ran over to him, jumping into his arms when she was close enough and squeezing him with all her might. "What the hell are you doing here?" Stefan exclaimed, his hands moving to cup her face. He was both horrified and overjoyed at her sudden presence.

"I had to, I couldn't just sit at home waiting around like a mad woman. I just had this horrible feeling ever since you left and I had to make sure you were okay" she explained rapidly.

He sighed and held her tightly, "As much as I admire your reasons for coming here, you need to leave. You need to get back home immediately. It's best if you-".

"We're better off together than we are apart, Stefan" she reminded him. He looked at her sympathetically before allowing his gaze to drift behind her, his eyes now on an uncomfortable looking Mark.

"Mark, can you give us a minute?" Stefan asked him. Mark quickly nodded, as if he were afraid that he'd upset the vampire again and walked into the kitchen. Once they were alone, Stefan looked down at her. "Sarah, I-".

She silenced him by placing her finger against his lips, "It's my turn to talk".

She took her finger away from his lips and smiled up at him, "I love you, Stefan. I tried to tell you last night but you left before I could get a word in. Every moment we're apart, it physically hurts, but when we're together, it's absolutely the most amazing feeling in the world. Now that I've known you, I can't possibly imagine existing without you". He touched his forehead to hers and gently brushed away the happy tears trickling down her cheeks. "It feels so good to finally get that off my chest," she whispered with a smile.

He smiled faintly then frowned, "What about John?".

"I don't dream about him like I do with you," she sighed, "He was my first love. But my love for you, Stefan, it doesn't compare in the slightest to any love I've ever known. You're the one I'm meant to be with. The one I _want_ to be with".

"Your world would be so much happier, so much easier without me in it," he whispered as his finger slid down her cheek.

"Maybe. But it wouldn't be my world without you in it".

He smiled brightly, "You already know I love you, but I'll say it again anyways. I love you, Sarah Hart. I have ever since I first laid eyes on you. I have never felt so comfortable with anyone else in my entire existence. Even before I knew about our past, it felt as if I'd always known you. No. It felt as though you were apart of me". Sarah pushed herself up onto her toes before kissing him softly. He didn't hesitate in returning the kiss, cupping her face in his hands, tilting it slightly to the side so he could kiss her deeply, his tongue swiping into her mouth and tasting that sweet flavor that was completely her. He kissed her and as she was stuck by lightening, she remembered. Flashes of unforeseen memories, _her_ memories, played before her like a slideshow. She abruptly pushed at his chest, breaking apart their lips as she stared up at him in amazement and disbelief.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly. She shut her eyes tightly as over a century's worth of forgotten memories flooded into her brain with the force of a semi truck. He noticed her expression of pain and quickly guided her over to the couch before she had the chance to stumble or pass out on him.

He knelt down in front of her, looking at her with sheer panic, "What's wrong, talk to me, Sarah. Did I hurt you?".

She shook her head, "I just…oh god…Stefan, I remember".

He looked at her in shock, "_What?"._

She smiled up at him, "I remember _everything_".

"_Everything?" _he whispered, "_But how_?".

She shook her head, "I don't know, but when we kiss, everything just came piling in. All these memories that I had forgotten. Stefan, I remember!". Stefan smiled brightly and kissed her passionately. When he pulled away, he looked at her seriously, "But how? We've kissed before in past lives. Why couldn't you remember then?".

"Maybe because this was the first life in which I've both unlocked some of my memories. Maybe with you getting all your memories back, with the help of that kiss, we just….I don't know. I can't explain it…". Stefan just shook his head and cupped her face before bringing her lips to his again. After a few minutes they finally broke apart from each other.

"Where is everyone?" she asked him breathlessly, "Didn't Six and John show up?".

Stefan nodded, "They're out back doing some last minute training with Damon, Caroline, and Bonnie".

"I need to break up with John," she whispered softly, her forehead resting against Stefan's. He nodded in agreement and tenderly kissed her lips one last time. Someone cleared their throat and Sarah looked up to see that it was Mark.

"Hey," he said awkwardly, "Remember me?". They both stood up and Sarah walked over to him before giving him a hug. "Thanks a lot for driving me out here, Mark. It means a lot to me".

Mark smiled, "Anything for you, Sarah. And besides like I would miss this epic showdown that's about to take place. What can I do?".

Sarah placed her hands on his shoulders, "Mark, it's too dangerous for you to stay. You need to go home".

Mark shook his head and shrugged away her hands, "No way I'm staying out of the action _again_. I'm staying".

Sarah looked to Stefan who then nodded before walking up to Mark. "I'm sorry, Mark" Sarah said quietly as Stefan looked him directly in the eyes. "Mark, you need to go home and you need to stay there, is that understood?".

Mark obediently nodded his head and headed out the door without a word. Sarah watched as he pulled out of the driveway from the window and sighed. She looked back at Stefan, "The compulsion won't do serious damage to his brain, right?".

He shook his head as he walked back over to her, "He'll be fine. Promise". She smiled weakly as he leaned down to her height to bestow another kiss on her lips.

"Well, well, well,". Sarah and Stefan both turned around to find Damon walking towards him, a bit of dirt dusting his leather jacket, presumably from the training session. "Sarah, what a pleasant surprise, didn't expect to see you here sweetheart" Damon said with a wink earning a disapproving growl from Stefan. Before Damon could say anything further, the rest of the gang came piling in.

"Sarah?" John exclaimed when his gaze landed on her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked as he pushed past Damon.

"I just…well I couldn't just stand around at home while all of you were having all the fun," she said sheepishly.

"Sarah, it was incredibly stupid of you to come here…but I'm glad. I really am," he leaned down to kiss her but she turned her head to the side so that he met her cheek. He stiffened up. "Ooh…rejected" Damon snickered loud enough for the whole room to hear.

"Ouch!" he spat when Caroline abruptly smacked him upside the head.

Sarah turned back to John and bit her lip nervously, "Umm…can I talk to you outside?". He nodded, "Sure", and led her out into the backyard, which was really the woods.

* * *

><p>"What's going on? Are you okay?" John asked worriedly, not liking the expression on Sarah's face.<p>

"I'm fine," she said quietly, "But we need to talk". She automatically winced once the words left her mouth. Surely even John knew _the we need to talk _speech did not amount to anything positive.

"_We need to talk_," he repeated, "You're breaking up with me, aren't you?". She looked down at the ground and nodded her head. "Well if you're going to break up with me, at least have the courtesy to look me in the eye as you do it" he said sharply, his hands curling up into fists at his sides. He never would've thought in a million years, that Sarah would ever make him want to lose his cool. "It's because of Stefan, right?" he said quietly.

She nodded her head, "I haven't been completely honest with you John".

He nodded, "Of course, you've been cheating on me with him".

She shook her head, "No, I haven't, I barely confessed my feelings to him just now".

John bit his lip as he felt hot tears sting the corner's of his eyes. He hadn't cried since Henri died and didn't think he'd ever cry again. He moved closer to Sarah, his hands gripping his arms, "Sarah please, I am so much better for you than he is. I can be a better boyfriend to you, I promise. I love you so much".

She had to fight back tears as she watched John's beautiful eyes well up with tears of his own, "I'm sorry, John, but I can't…Stefan and I we're…it's hard to explain. We just…we were, _are_, truly meant for each other. I love him with every fiber in my being, have been for a very long time, longer than you could possibly image. I cannot bear the idea of living my life without him".

"What if he's compelling you? What if he's making you feel this way about him? What if this isn't real?".

She shook her head and lifted up her arm, which still had Bonnie's vervain bracelet on her wrist, "This ensures that I can't be compelled. And besides, Stefan would never compel me. He doesn't need to compel me in order for me to love him," she looked at him sadly and reached out to brush away the tears running down his face, "Breaking up with you is the hardest thing I'll ever have to do but I have to. It isn't fair to you, not when I'm in love with Stefan".

"But you love me too, Sarah. I can see it in your eyes" he whispered. She nodded, "It's true, I still love you, but I just…I love Stefan so much more. I literally can't stop thinking about him when I'm not with him, and when I am with him, it's ludicrous to say, but I miss him even then. I know this probably isn't what you want to hear but I need you to know that I'm not just breaking up with you for 'some' guy who I'll date for a few months before breaking up with. Stefan is the one I'm meant to be with, John. I'm sorry".

John shook his head, anger overtaking his sadness, "He's a vampire, Sarah. How can you build a life with him? You are going to age, Sarah, but he won't. He'll be forever stuck in his seventeen year old body".

She nodded her head, "I know that, John."

He folded his arms across his chest, "So what are you going to do? Just continue to be with him to the point where he still looks young and you look like you're sixty? He's not going to want to be with an old lady, Sarah".

"There is another option, John" she said quietly.

He looked at her and then shook his head, "No…y-you can't even be considering that, can you?".

She shrugged and looked up into his blue eyes which had turned cold, "So what if I am?".

"You can't turn yourself into a parasite like him, Sarah. It's not natural!" he practically yelled at her.

"You're one to talk, John!". That might have been harsh but she couldn't help it.

"If you were in Stefan's shoes and had the choice of being with me for the rest of time, or letting me grow old and die, which would you choose?".

John stayed quiet. She pursed her lips together, "That's what I thought….Look, I don't know what's going to happen. Stefan and I haven't had a chance to talk about our future. All I know is that we're spending it together, one way or the other. So if that means the possibility of becoming a vampire, then so be it".

"Don't do this, Sarah" he pleaded, grasping her hand tightly in his, "Don't throw everything away for _him. _I love you so much more than he could ever love you". She slipped her hand out of his grasp and shook her head, "I'm so sorry, John. But my choice is Stefan. It will always be Stefan".

John sighed and nodded his head, "Okay. If he's what you want…".

* * *

><p>John and Sarah both walked back into the house together, with everyone's eyes on them. "Someone just got dumped," Damon commented as they entered the parlor, this time earning a smack from both Caroline <em>and<em> Bonnie. Stefan walked up to John, "Look, I-".

John held up his hand which was slightly glowing red due to his high emotions, "Don't. Just save it".

Stefan nodded and stepped back. John picked up the White Oak Stake off the table, "Isn't it about time we killed this Klaus bastard, already?".

"Couldn't agree more, Four," Six said before pushing herself off the couch. "Let's get this plan in motion already," she exclaimed.

Damon downed another drink before saying, "Everyone know what they got to do?". Everyone nodded. "Alright, then" he said, nudging Alaric, who had arrived while John and Sarah were outside, "Let's do this".

Stefan walked over to Sarah as everyone headed outside. "You know you have to stay here, right?".

She smiled weakly and nodded, "I figured as much".

Stefan nodded his head back over to Alaric, "Alaric is going to stay with you, just so you're not completely defenseless in case something were to happen". Sarah looked over at Alaric who gave her a reassuring nod. "If everything goes as planned, this shouldn't take long," Stefan whispered as he brushed his fingers across her cheek, "I'll be back as soon as I can".

She smiled and nodded before kissing him softly, "Don't get killed," she said seriously.

He nodded, "Don't worry about me…I love you". He kissed her again, this time more passionately, before heading outside.

* * *

><p>"You're chums are taking an awfully long time to come and rescue you, love" Klaus commented. He currently had Elena tightly bound to a tree with many of his hybrids in close proximities in the middle of a forest just outside of Mystic Falls. "Maybe it's because they don't know where you are," Elena said through gritted teeth as she tried to undo the ties that bound her.<p>

"I'm easy to find when I want to be, I made sure of that" he replied impatiently.

He stopped pacing when he finally heard footsteps in the distance. "Ah, here comes your knight in shining armor". Elena looked around in the darkness but didn't see anyone. But a few moments later, she finally heard the sound of leaves crunching on the ground. She looked up to see Stefan appearing out of the shadows. She sighed in relief. _Thank god, she thought to herself. It was about time! _"Ah Stefan, I was beginning to think that you hadn't received my message".

Stefan walked closer to him, "Nope, I got it alright". His gaze sought out Elena's , "Are you okay?".

Elena nodded her head, "I'm f-".

Klaus cut her off, "My coffins," he demanded, his heated gaze on Stefan, "Where are they?".

Stefan gestured to the faint lights near the break in the trees, off the side of the road, "In the truck. But before you get them, you have to give me Elena".

Klaus snapped his fingers and Stefan and Elena watched as three of his hybrids blurred over to the truck, "Not just yet, mate". "Well?" Klaus said loudly, once he heard his hybrids make it to the truck.

One of the hybrids blurred back in front of him, "They're in there alright".

"Bring them to me," Klaus ordered.

A few brief moments later, the hybrids returned, dragging the coffins and stacked them side by side in front of Klaus. His eyes darted back and forth, counting the coffins laid out in front of him. "Good," he said finally, "They're all here."

Stefan nodded his head, "Yes, just as you asked, now hand over Elena". Klaus waved his hand and Stefan watched as two of his hybrids began untying Elena.

Klaus looked back at him, "You know, I'm rather disappointed in you, Stefan. I give you you're freedom and this is how you repay me? By stealing my family?".

Stefan folded his arms across his chest, "How did you know that I was the one who took them?". Klaus smirked, "You're not the only one with a witch, dear friend." He stepped aside to reveal Lucy Bennett, Bonnie's cousin, whom Stefan had last seen during the Masquerade Ball last year.

"No," Elena whispered sadly at the sight of her. Lucy looked down ashamedly.

"Truth is dear old chum, I've been tracking your every move since you left Mystic Falls as well as Katerina's. Her taking my family, that was a shock, I assure you. But what was more of a shock was you taking over for her, keeping my family _hidden_ from me".

"So you knew where they were the entire time," Stefan deducted, his gaze fleeting to Lucy briefly. Klaus nodded.

Stefan arched his eyebrow, "Then if you knew where they were, why didn't you just come and take them from me or from Katherine?".

Klaus shrugged, "I knew you two would have cooked up some kind of plan, otherwise Katerina would've never done it and I was merely curious as to see what exactly that was".

Klaus held his arms open, "And yet," he looked around, "Here I stand, and I have yet to see any type of plan whatsoever from you. Where is that impulsive brother of yours surely he wouldn't want to miss out on saving Elena? Or that feisty witch?".

Stefan merely shook his head, "It's just me, Klaus. No elaborate plan. Just me".

"That's a shame, really, I was looking forward to _something. _Now I really feel bad about my retaliation".

Elena frowned, "Retaliation?".

"Well, Stefan took so long, I grew irritated so I decided to get a head start on ripping the town apart. I said I would start with his dearest love, did I not?". His gaze flickering over to Elena.

Stefan frowned, "But Elena's standing right here".

Klaus smirked, "Silly Stefan. When I said _starting with your dearest love_, I didn't mean Elena. You see, it's come to my attention that nowadays you prefer the company of a certain blonde, am I right?" he chuckled, "You really didn't think that I would find out about her? Did you?".

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Dun dun dun! You know you want to review! Puh-lease, pretty please?<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Thanks again to all who reviewed! Hate to say it but this is the LAST chapter! I know, I know, tears! So definitely read. enjoy. review! I'll give you all the details on my next story at the end of the chapter!**

* * *

><p>Stefan's jaw tightened as he did his best to keep his composure.<p>

Elena met Stefan's gaze briefly before looking to Klaus, "What did you do to her?".

Klaus ignored her question and kept his eyes on Stefan, "I take it Katerina told you about the hybrid she came across in New York. Seeing as how he never came back, I assumed Katerina took care of him. But as Lucy used her ever so handy tracking spell on you, we noticed something ever so peculiar. In recent weeks it seems you've been quite found of a small town called Paradise, Ohio. So I asked myself, _Now what, pray tell, has got Stefan so fascinated with a ruddy little town in the Midwest?_ So naturally I had one of my hybrids investigate". Klaus beckoned forward someone out of the shadows. Elena and Stefan both turned around to see that it was Tyler. He was shaking his head, his expression flickering with regret, "I'm so sorry, Stefan. I didn't have a choice. I didn't _want_ to kill her…".

Before he had a chance to say another word, Stefan had blurred towards him, slamming him roughly into the tree.

Tyler's eyes flashed with anger, "Let go of me Stefan. Don't make me hurt you".

"Don't do this Stefan," Elena's voice came as she ran over to the two, "Think of Caroline. Don't take Tyler away from her".

Stefan slammed his hand through Tyler's chest, "You mean like he took Sarah away from me?" he snarled, his grip on the hybrid's heart tightening.

"Please," Tyler managed to choke out, his hands flying to wrap around Stefan's wrists but unable to pull him away.

Elena shook her head and placed her hand on Stefan's shoulder, "Think of Sarah, Stefan. She wouldn't want you to do this". Stefan looked at her before looking back at Tyler. He reluctantly pulled his arm back and let Tyler slide down the tree and onto the ground.

Elena knelt down besides Tyler, "Are you alright?".

"I'll be fine," Tyler groaned, as he clutched a hand over his wound while it healed.

"Now this is much more like it. Wasn't the show I was hoping for, but it will do" Klaus said jovially with a sadistic smirk plastered on his face.

* * *

><p>"Klaus has got about a dozen hybrids surrounding the area," Damon said quietly, his eyes scanning through the trees as he pinpointed all the locations of the hybrids lurking around. He looked over at Six who was beside him, "Are you sure your invisibility power thing can cover <em>all<em> of us?".

"As long as everyone stays close by," she replied as she pulled out her Lorienic dagger.

"And they won't be hear us either?" Bonnie asked quietly.

Six nodded, "As long as you all stay close by, you'll both be invisible _and_ silent".

"They won't know what hit them," John murmured.

"That's got to be the coolest power ever," Caroline said suddenly. Everyone whipped their head to see Caroline suddenly kneeling beside Bonnie.

"Where did you disappear off to?" Bonnie asked when she noticed Caroline back at her side again.

"Did a another patrol around the area," she said quickly, "Wanted to see what we're up against". Bonnie looked at her unsurely before looking back in front of her. "Who has the stake?". John nodded his head and patted the inside of his jacket pocket, "I do".

"Are we all ready?" Six asked everyone. Sam swallowed hard, his grip on a stake tightening. They all nodded. Six took a few deep breaths before allowing her Legacy to shield everyone.

"Did you do it?" Damon asked her impatiently.

"I ought to let you go off without any protection whatsoever" she spat, throwing him a dirty look. Damon rolled his eyes and straightened up, "I take that as a yes, Goldie locks".

"Fuck off, parasite," Six muttered as she ran over to the closest hybrid before slicing his head off without a second glance, John and Bonnie close behind her. "She totally likes you," Caroline teased as Damon went after another hybrid and plunged his arm through his chest, quickly ripping out his heart before he had the chance to even flinch. He snorted and blurred out of sight, "Shut up, Barbie".

Caroline smirked knowingly before running to catch up with the others, "Whatever you say, Damon".

* * *

><p>Klaus stiffened suddenly, taking his gaze off Stefan, Elena, and Tyler, "Something's wrong". He scanned the area, his eyes growing wild with rage. His head snapped towards Stefan and Elena, "Where are my hybrids?".<p>

Elena frowned and looked around through the seemingly empty trees.

Stefan merely shrugged, "Maybe they ran away. Probably realized what a dick you are".

Klaus snarled at this, "Watch it, Stefan. I will not hesitate in ripping your heart out".

"Funny, that's exactly what I did to your hybrids". Klaus whipped his head around to see Damon stepping out of the shadows, one of his hybrid's hearts in the palm of his hands.

"How?" Klaus snarled, "You couldn't of destroyed them all on your own".

Damon tossed the hybrid heart carelessly over his shoulder, "You're right. We had some help". All of a sudden Bonnie and Caroline appeared out of nowhere.

Bonnie's eyes narrowed at the sight of her cousin, "Lucy?".

Lucy looked at her with wide eyes, "Bonnie, what are you doing here?".

Bonnie stepped towards her, "I could ask you the same thing! Working for Klaus? I thought you weren't going to get involved with vampires anymore". Lucy looked at her sympathetically, "Sorry, Bonnie. I didn't have a choice". Caroline noticed Tyler behind Elena and Stefan and hurriedly knelt down beside him to help him up.

Klaus blinked, fury flashing across his expression, "How was I unable to sense you all?".

Damon sauntered over to Stefan and Elena, "I told you, Klaus. We had some help. And let me tell you, they were much more helpful than your little witch could possibly ever be" he stated, his eyes fleeting over to Lucy briefly before settling back on Klaus. His lips quirked up into a triumphant smirk at Klaus' infuriated expression.

Klaus looked over at Stefan, "I guess this makes us even then".

"Even doesn't begin to cut it" Stefan deadpanned.

Klaus smirked and took a step closer to him, "Well, if you want to play it that way…".

"Actually, Klaus, I think we'll play it _our_ way". Klaus spun around only to be knocked back and slammed to the ground. He quickly stood up, his hybrid features now in full force, "What is the meaning of this?" he roared. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he stared at Six and John. He brushed the dirt off his jacket and looked accusingly over at Stefan and Damon, "Who are they?".

Damon shrugged innocently, "Just some human pals of ours, Klaus, meet _John Smith and Jane Doe_".

"What, are they too much for you to handle, Klaus?".

Klaus turned his attention back on John and Six, "Whatever you are, I really don't care. But obviously you two aren't very bright. You see, now you've angered me. And I'm the last person on this earth that you want to anger. So say goodbye to your little friends".

John and Six exchanged knowing smirks before John walked up to Klaus, "I think it's _you_ who should start saying goodbye".

Six tapped her chin then snapped her fingers, "Oh wait, that's right, you don't have any friends, do you?".

Klaus smirked, "You've got a lot of nerve little girl".

"I've also got a White Oak Stake with your name on it," she retorted. Klaus' smile faded, "What-That's impossible. Not unless you-". "Have the ashes of the white oak tree?" Bonnie finished for him, causing Klaus to spin around to face them.

Klaus' head snapped back over to Tyler, who had fully recovered from Stefan's attack already, "You! The ashes, how did they find them!" he spat wildly.

Tyler looked bewildered, "I have no idea. I hid them in a safe spot, I swear! Just like you had told me to".

"Obviously not in a safe enough spot," Damon muttered to Elena, causing her to crack a smile.

Stefan stepped forward, "It's over Klaus. You. Lose". Klaus snarled violently and without warning, lunged for Stefan. But before Klaus had time to do any damage, John had pulled the regenerated stake out of his jacket pocket and swiftly slammed it into Klaus' back. Klaus screamed bloody murder, causing the sleeping birds to fly from their nests. John retracted the stake and swiftly turned Klaus onto his back before plunging it straight into his heart, "It was nice meeting you, Klaus". Six grabbed Four by the collar and pulled him out of the way as Klaus' body burst into flames.

"It's finally over," Elena whispered, shutting her eyes and letting out a huge sigh of relief. "Thank God," Caroline reaffirmed as she leaned into Tyler's shoulders.

Damon stepped forward, towards the coffins in the center of the area, "We still have to figure out what we're going to do with them".

"We need to make sure that nobody ever finds them ever again. The last thing we need is some unsuspecting person to undagger them" Bonnie muttered.

"Throw them in the middle of the ocean?" Elena suggested.

"Possibly," Damon said as he brushed his hand across the top of one of the coffins, "What do you think, brother?" he asked, turning around to meet Stefan's gaze. Only problem was, Stefan had disappeared.

Damon frowned, "Where'd he go?".

"Maybe he wanted to celebrate already," Bonnie replied. John clenched his jaw as he thought of who Stefan would be celebrating _with_. Six noticed this and clasped him on the shoulder, looking at him reassuringly.

"I hardly think Stefan's gone off to celebrate," Elena said quietly, looking over to Tyler briefly, who held his head down in shame.

Damon looked at them suspiciously, "Okay, what the hell is going on? What don't I know?".

Elena shut her eyes tightly, tears stinging the corners of her eyes, "Sarah's dead".

John's heart practically stopped, "_What?"._

"And it's my fault," Tyler said quietly with a shake of his head. John's hands immediately flared up as he lunged for Tyler, "What did you do?" he roared. _She couldn't be dead, she just couldn't be dead…he just saw her…she couldn't…no he had to be lying… _Six grabbed his arm to pull him back just as Caroline stepped in front of Tyler protectively. "You don't understand, Tyler didn't _really_ kill her".

* * *

><p>Stefan was currently standing outside the Boarding House. The front door was wide open, immediately signaling that something was wrong. His stomach lurched at the possibilities of what he were to see if he stepped inside. He felt sick. No, he felt worse than that. He felt like his insides were tearing themselves apart. He couldn't breathe. He swallowed hard and crumpled to his knees, his legs unable to carry his weight for another second. This was all his fault. She was dead because of him. <em>Again<em>. He had done everything to protect her and that still wasn't enough. He shook his head and slammed his fist against the pavement, hot tears now blurring his vision. It wasn't fair. He had just gotten her back and almost immediately lost her again. He screamed out in agony, unable to take this sick, gnawing feeling, eating at him by the second. He almost wished that they hadn't killed Klaus, just so he could kill him himself. He could not live without her, not after knowing such happiness. Who knew when or if she would be reincarnated again. How was he supposed to live now?

"Stefan!".

He didn't bother to turn around, he knew whose voice it belonged to. It was only a matter of moments before he felt her in front of him. "It's okay, Stefan," Elena soothed as she took his face in her hands and lifted him up to face her. He swatted her hands away, his forehead resting on her shoulder as he sobbed, "It's not alright, Elena! Sarah's dead! Even after everything, I still lost her…". His entire body stiffened upon sensing Tyler. He stood up from his place and turned around to see him with Caroline, the others shortly behind them. "Leave," he spat, his heated gaze on Tyler, "Leave before I really rip your heart out this time".

Elena shook her head and stepped in front of Stefan, "She's not really dead, Stefan".

"What are you talking about Elena?".

Tyler stepped forward, "I can explain, Stefan. I knew once Klaus gave me the order that I'd have to follow through on it even if I didn't want to," he started, "So I told Caroline, and well she…". "I fed Sarah my blood before he had to kill her" Caroline finished quickly.

Bonnie appeared at Caroline's side, "So that's where you disappeared to when we had split up in the woods". Caroline nodded, "Sorry I lied".

"So she's not really dead," Elena stated, her gaze on Stefan. Tyler and Caroline nodded.

"Yeah, she's just going to become a fucking parasite!" John yelled in outrage, unable to keep his silence for another second. Caroline walked up to Stefan and looked at him sympathetically, "I know this probably isn't what you wanted, but we didn't have any other choice, not unless you wanted her to die for good".

Stefan shook his head in disbelief, "I don't know what to say,".

Caroline smiled weakly, "You helped me when I most needed it, Stefan. I just wanted to try and do the same. You're my friend and I wasn't about to let another tragedy occur".

"This town has definitely seen way to much of that," Elena commented grimly. Without warning, Stefan grabbed Caroline and hugged her tightly, "Thank you".

Caroline winced, "Ow, Stefan! You're a lot stronger than I am, remember?".

He quickly let go of her, "Sorry". Stefan turned to Tyler. "I'm truly sorry, Stefan" Tyler said again, "I did the best that I could to-".

"Thank you, Tyler. I appreciate it. I'm just thankful that you were able to do the right thing and tell Caroline".

Tyler nodded and smiled over at Caroline lovingly, "Thank God for Caroline". Caroline just blushed.

Damon rolled his eyes and pushed past the two before heading inside the house, "Just what this town needs, another vampire".

Elena looked back at Stefan, "Are you sure you'll be okay to…", she gestured towards the door. Stefan took a deep breath before nodding, "Now that I know she's not really dead, I think I can". Elena smiled and followed Damon into the house, Stefan on her heels.

The first body Stefan noticed was Alaric. He was stirring on the floor before his blue eyes flashed open and looked around. He pushed himself up onto his elbows and rubbed his head, "What happened?". Stefan noticed that the Gilbert ring lay on his finger so even if Tyler had killed him, he would be resurrected. Again.

Tyler helped him up, "Sorry I had to knock you out, are you alright?".

Alaric nodded unsurely, "Why did you attack me?".

"Klaus," Tyler explained.

Alaric nodded and then looked around, "Well, did you kill him?".

"Klaus, the hybrid, is no more" Damon said proudly as he poured himself a drink, "Hey, Stef, your girlfriend's right here" he said, pointing downward with his free hand. Stefan reluctantly walked over towards Damon to find Sarah's lifeless body at his feet. He knelt down beside her, his heart aching at the very sight of her before cradling her in his arms and kissing the top of her head. He stood up and wordlessly took her upstairs to his room.

"How long before the blonde comes back as a parasite?" Six inquired once Stefan was out of sight.

Caroline rolled her eyes, "She'll wake up in a few hours".

Six looked to John, "Can we leave, then?".

"Please say yes," Damon muttered against his glass.

John nodded his head, "I guess so".

"But don't you want to wait, at least to say goodbye to Sarah?" Elena inquired. John hesitated, his gaze fleeting to the stairs, before finally shaking his head, "I don't think I'd want to see her in her new…form. I want to remember her as she was, not as a-".

"As a blood sucking leech," Six finished quickly, "Alright then, it's settled, let's get a move on, we have Loriens to find".

"You could at least be a bit more sympathetic" Caroline said with a fold of her arms.

Six placed her hands on her hips, "Need I remind you that, that blonde upstairs broke Four's heart. Actually no, she more or less ripped it out and did a little dance on top of it. So sorry, if I'm not-"

"That's enough, Six," John said under his breath, "Leave it. Let's just get going".

Elena opened the front door for them, "Thank you again, so much for your help. I don't know what we would've done without you".

"You would've failed that's what you would've done," Six retorted with a smirk.

Damon scoffed as he walked over to them, "As if".

"Whatever get's you to sleep at night," Six said with a chuckle.

Damon leaned into her, "You know, Caroline seems to get the idea that you like me," he said with his signature smirk.

Six rolled her eyes, "Please".

"That wasn't a no" he pointed out.

"Right, that was a hell no. I don't date vampires".

"Probably the only girl on the planet who doesn't" Damon commented, "How about a friends with benefits type of deal. I've never slept with an alien before".

Six plastered a fake smile across her face, "Sorry, I don't fuck dead people".

Damon scoffed, "Ouch. You know where to hit a guy where it hurts".

"Goodbye, Damon".

"Hmm, we're on a first name basis, are we?".

Six just rolled her eyes again, "Goodbye. C'mon guys, let's go".

"Have fun hunting down your alien buddies, be sure to never come back!" Damon called out once they were all outside heading towards Sam's truck and Six's bike.

Elena nudged Damon, "Don't be such a jerk".

Damon smirked and closed the door, "You're just jealous because I was flirting with Six".

Elena shook her head, "Yeah, okay".

"See, you didn't deny it".

Elena followed him back into the parlor, "I am not jealous, Damon!" she exclaimed.

* * *

><p>Stefan didn't sleep at all that night, not that he intended to anyways. He didn't want to risk being asleep when she finally woke up. He glanced out his window, sensing that morning was close. He sighed and looked back at the journal that was in front of him. He had spent the last few hours writing in his journal, specifically writing down all the once forgotten memories involving Sarah. He figured it was the thing to do, seeing as how he never wanted to forget ever sharing a single moment with her ever again. He knew Katherine would never really be completely out of his life, and he didn't want to risk getting compelled again whenever she decided to pop up again. He would never completely trust her and never intended to. At least, now he would have some recollection since he'd written everything down if that ever happened. After finishing yet another journal, he closed the small book, and glanced over to his bed where Sarah was still unconscious. He stared at her peaceful, angelic features, eagerly anticipating when she finally awoke. And as if someone had heard him, he watched with wide eyes as Sarah's eyes began to flutter open. He got up so quickly that he nearly knocked over his chair. He swallowed hard as her eyes finally opened and were magnetically drawn to his. She blinked a few times, "Stefan?". He couldn't contain the smile that spread across his face at the sound of his name on her lips. He quickly walked over to her, kneeling down at her side, "Sarah".<p>

Her hand reached out to touch the side of his face, "I feel funny…what happened?".

He kissed the inside of her wrist, "What's the last thing you remembered?".

She dropped her hand from his face and thought about it for a moment. "It all happened so fast…," she said quietly, "Caroline…she came to the house…she was rambling…she kept apologizing….she made me drink her blood…and then some guy…he… snapped my neck". Realization hit her and she quickly sat up into an upright position, her hand flying to her neck, "H-he killed me".

Stefan looked at her sympathetically, "That was Tyler, one of Klaus' hybrids. It turns out Klaus knew about you and ordered Tyler to kill you to get back at me," he sighed, "Thankfully he told Caroline about it before he killed you…otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. And then I don't know what I'd do".

"So…I'm a vampire?".

He shook his head, "Not quite. If a human dies with a vampire's blood in their system, then they start the transition process. But, you have to drink human blood in order to completely transition into a vampire".

"What happens if I don't drink blood?" she asked.

"Then you die. _Really_ die" he said quietly.

She swallowed hard, "Oh".

He gently brushed a loose strand of hair out of her face, "I am so sorry about this".

She smiled weakly and clasped her hand over his, "It isn't your fault, Stefan".

He nodded his head, "Yes it is, Sarah. All this is my fault, if I hadn't of-" He was cut off by the feeling of her lips against his. He sighed and gently kissed her back before breaking the kiss. He looked at her expectantly, "So…what do you want to do?".

"Well, I guess the thing to do is drink some blood…right?".

"You don't have to feed if you don't want to. You don't have to become a vampire".

"But if I don't, I'll die. _Really_ die. Is that what you want?".

He shook his head, "Of course not, but I just want you to make the choice that's right for you and not the choice that you think I want. If you die, it's not like you won't come back".

She sighed, "I suppose…but who knows how long it will be before that happens".

"I can wait," he said quietly, "I do have the rest of time to wait for you" he reminded.

She shook her head, "But I don't want to have to wait to be with you. We just…" hot tears filled her eyes, "We just got each other back. I don't want to lose you again".

He nodded in agreement before leaning down and kissing away her tears, "You don't have to. We don't ever have to lose each other again. All you have to do is say the word".

She looked up at him and nodded her head, "I want to become a vampire, Stefan".

"You sure?".

She nodded, "I'm positive".

When Stefan returned to his room, carrying a blood bag that he had retrieved from the basement, he found Sarah looking at the picture frame he kept at his desk. The one of him and Lexi. She smiled at the picture and pointed to it when she noticed him walk back into the room. "This was at the Bon Jovi concert, right?".

He smiled at the memory and nodded. She giggled, "Your hair was so teased back then".

"You really shouldn't be talking, your hair was way worse than mine and Lexi's hair _combined_".

"It's a good thing there aren't any pictures of me back then floating around" she said with a smile as she put the picture down, "That concert was really amazing…I'm so jealous of you though, can't believe you got to hang out with them after the show".

Stefan shrugged, a grin plastering his face, "You could've if you…".

"If Katherine hadn't decided to throw me off the Brooklyn bridge," she finished.

His smile disappeared and he shook his head, "I shouldn't of brought it up".

Sarah shrugged, "It's all in the past, Stefan".

She glanced at the picture again, "Lexi looked like a really good person. I wish I could've met her".

Stefan nodded his head, "She would've loved you".

Sarah then noticed the blood bag in his hand, "I take it that's for me".

Stefan nodded his head and ripped off the top before handing it to her, "Bon appetit".

She looked at it hesitantly and Stefan gave her a reassuring smile. She swallowed hard before pressing the bag to her lips and taking a sip.

The liquid was cold and incredibly sweet. It didn't taste or smell like the copper she once associated blood with. It was the most delicious thing she had ever tasted, so foreign, and yet so familiar at the same time…Before she realized it, the entire bag was empty. She looked at it in shock before meeting Stefan's gaze. "Someone was thirsty," he said with a small smile, "I take it, it was good".

"A lot better than I thought it would be," she admitted with a blush as she handed back the empty bag to him, "What happens now?".

"We get you a daylight ring" he replied.

* * *

><p>"Nice room, Stefan," Caroline commented as she, Bonnie, and Elena walked into his room. "It's dark, gloomy, brooding, just like you".<p>

Stefan folded his arms across his chest, "How can a room _brood_ exactly?". Caroline rolled her eyes at him and walked over to Sarah just as Elena finished giving her a hug, "How are you feeling?" she asked, knowing that it wasn't long ago when she was in her position.

Sarah nodded her head, "It's a little weird…everything's so intricate and heightened…a little overwhelming but I think I can handle it".

"That's good to hear," Elena commented as she sat down next to Sarah on the bed. "So, you need a daylight ring, little miss, I took the liberty of bringing a few rings from home, some I think will look fabulous on you" Caroline stated as she fished through her bag.

"That's not necessary, Caroline. I already have a ring for her" Stefan replied before pulling a ring out of his pocket.

Caroline was the first to see what it was and her eyes bugged out, "Ohmygod is that a wedding ring?".

Stefan chuckled sheepishly, "Yes, actually, it is".

Sarah looked up at him with wide eyes, "Are you asking me to marry you?".

Stefan smiled as he handed Bonnie the ring, "That depends, would you say yes if I was?".

Sarah started stuttering, "W-well, I-I…".

Stefan chuckled and pecked her on the lips, "Easy, Sarah. I'm not asking you to marry me…just yet. I figured that if you had to wear one ring for the rest of forever, it should be one that symbolizes our eternal commitment, don't you?". Bonnie and Elena both went, "Awww".

"So wait, this isn't a proposal, right? Because if it is, sorry, Stefan but it's lousy" Caroline commented. Stefan ignored her comment. "I want to marry you, Sarah. That I'm certain of. But I don't want to push you into something you're not ready for or don't want".

"Good," Sarah said with a chuckle, "Cause I think it would be best if we actually went on a first date, then spent time actually courting before we got married, don't you?".

"An old fashioned girl, I like it" he said, leaning down and kissing her lips softly.

She rested her forehead against his, "Just give me a few years, then we'll get married, promise" she whispered.

He chuckled, "I'll give you forever if needed. I'm in no rush…although… Sarah Salvatore does sound amazing on the tongue, don't you think?".

Sarah giggled, "Stop it, you're tempting me!".

Stefan laughed and kissed her again.

"Aww, this so cute!" Caroline said in awe as she squeezed Bonnie's arm, "Your wedding is going to be amazing!".

"Please, someone pass the puke bucket, all this is incredibly nauseating" said a voice. Everyone turned to see that it was Damon leaning up against the doorway.

"Go away, Damon," Stefan said simply, throwing a glare his brother's way.

Damon rolled his eyes, "Whatever, I was just leaving. There's way too much estrogen in this room anyways".

All the girls rolled their eyes. "Okay, back to business," Bonnie stated as she opened up her Grimoire. "Aren't you going to give her the big lecture that you gave me?" Caroline demanded. "Hey, she didn't kill anyone, unlike you" Bonnie retorted.

"_Not yet_" Caroline mumbled.

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, Caroline" Sarah said sarcastically.

Elena nudged Caroline, "Say you're sorry, Care".

Caroline rolled her eyes, "Sorry, Sarah. I'm sure you won't kill anyone".

Sarah chuckled, "Thank you".

Bonnie walked over to the window and pushed back a sliver of the curtains so that the sunlight shone onto the ring that laid on the bed. Sarah scooted away from the light. Sarah watched as Bonnie closed her eyes for a moment, then reopened her eyes. "All done".

Sarah looked at her skeptically, "That's it?".

"That's what I said when she did my ring," Caroline replied, picking up the ring and handing it to Sarah, "Don't question it".

Stefan took it out of Sarah's palm before slipping it onto her ring finger, "The beginning of forever". Sarah smiled brightly before kissing Stefan passionately.

"Okay, I think we're no longer needed," Bonnie commented, nodding her head towards the door, urging Elena and Caroline to follow.

"Yes, let's leave the vampire lovebirds alone" Caroline agreed, linking arms with Elena as they headed out of the room. "Bye, guys!". Stefan and Sarah finally broke apart after a few minutes. "Hey, where'd they go?" Sarah asked after realizing that the girls had left.

Stefan shrugged and pulled Sarah back into his arms, "I have another gift for you" he whispered into her hair.

She looked up at him, "What is it?".

Stefan smiled knowingly before getting off the bed. Sarah watched him curiously as he pulled something out of his desk drawer and walked back over to her. He held up what looked to be a necklace, but she quickly realized that it was a dog tag. _His_ dog tag, to be exact. The one he had given her over sixty years ago.

Her eyes widened, "Where did you get that?".

He smiled, "Found it". He dropped it into her hand.

She frowned, "What are you doing? It's yours".

He shook his head, "As I recall, I gave it to you. So that means it's yours". She stared at it in disbelief, "But how did you…".

"On my way back to Mystic Falls, I took a little detour" he explained before sitting down next to her, "Turns out you were buried with it. I thought it seemed fit to retrieve it for you".

"So, what? You went down to South Carolina and…?".

"Located your grave, dug it up, and got it back for you…wow, I just realized how psychotic that sounded" he said with a frown.

"Most grave robbers are," she teased. He playfully glared at her.

She brushed her thumb over his name, "Wow…I never thought I'd see this again".

"Want me to put it on you? Don't worry, I made sure to clean it". She nodded and stood up, lifting up her hair so he could put it around her neck. Once he finished, she turned around to look at him, "Well, how does it look?".

"It looks amazing on you," he replied, leaning over and kissing her softly.

"This is all so surreal," she whispered, "Me being a vampire but most importantly, being able to spend the rest of forever with you. It still hasn't sunk in".

He gently caressed her cheek, "I'll do the best that I can to ensure that every moment brings you nothing but happiness…I wouldn't want you to regret this choice you've made".

She smiled brightly, shaking her head, "I could never regret the choice of spending the rest of time with you, Stefan Salvatore. Not ever".

He lifted her up in his arms, and looked up at her adorningly, "Probably the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me".

She lightly kissed his chin, "Expect those kinds of things from me every single day of forever, Mr. Salvatore".

"I look forward to it, soon-to-be _Mrs. Salvatore_" he replied with a grin before capturing her lips in an all consuming kiss.

Sarah reluctantly pried her lips from his, "Hey, you still have to take me out on a date, first!".

Stefan chuckled and held onto her a little tighter, "Silly me, how could I have forgotten so soon?".

She shook her head at his silliness and touched the side of his face, "I love you, Stefan".

He gently put her down and kissed her softly, "I love you too, Sarah. You truly are the best thing that's ever happened to me".

* * *

><p><strong>AN: If I had continued any longer, I'm sure my fingers woud've fallen off. Anyways, there you go! Another story completed, I have to say, I'm really proud that I finished yet another story! <strong>

**As for my next venture, you may ask? Well, my good friend who's b-day is coming up asked me if I would write a story and that would be her present. Naturally, I said yes, because frankly I don't have any money to buy her a real gift with! lol. So anyways she told me what pairing she wanted, (and I nearly had a heart-attack, the good kind, don't worry) when she told me that she wanted a story with...drum roll... my favorite pairing EVER of Stefan Salvatore and Quinn Fabray, or Fabratore (which in my opinion is a freakin' badass couple name if not _the_ most badass) lol She also wanted the story based on her favorite movie, my own guilty pleasure, that is _A Walk to Remember._ Never seen it? Well that's just crazy! When she told me what she wanted, I was really excited because frankly I have gotten a little homesick seeing as how I haven't written a Glee fic in what seems like forever! I enjoy writing the Glee characters so freakin' much and well, this is perfect opportunity to get back to it! So if you're still reading this ridiculously long note and are interested in my next venture, stay tuned! I shall be publishing my first chapter very very soon! And if you've liked my previous stories, I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy my new one! =] **

**And again, a super big thank you to all who read and reviewed this story! I'm glad you all enjoyed!**


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